Tales at 2-2-1 Beika
by Phantom Shyraz
Summary: It started out as an empty lot but it came with that little bit extra. If only Yuusaku had continued being who he was instead of who he has become, it might have spared the grief and heartaches.
1. Life

**-Tales 2-2-1 Beika-**

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

Prompt: Haunted

A/N: This is actually the full version of a fic submission for Poirot Cafe, which as an abridged and shortened version. I started off with this chapter, was going to just use this but felt it needed a better ending and it finally became a multi-chapter thing.

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 **-01: Life-**

"Yuu-chan," Yukiko leaned onto her newly wedded husband of three days on the loveseat they were sharing in Yuusaku's small and quite cozy apartment, good for a newly wed couple but not w so for raising a family.

As a celebration of their wedding, Yuusaku had bought that piece of land with the dilapidated cheap apartment building in the developing areas of Beika, and had managed to have it subdivided to earn a bit of cash back. The old building had to be demolished, the metallic stairs and railings were covered with rust, flooring weathered and riddled with holes. There had been complaints about the building being infested with mice and insects, though Yukiko had never visited the site even once. Yukiko knew Yuusaku was a romantic when he said he wanted to start a life with her and now had the deed to prove it. Although Yukiko has never seen the place, she hoped it was not as horrifying as the rumours made it out to be. Then again, a certain part of her mind was thriving on the dramatics the place could have.

The recently detective-turned-best-selling author hummed in response, eyes never taken away from the blank sheets of drafting paper laid out on the small coffee table before him. After his proposal to Yukiko, he slowly withdrew himself from his professional detective career and focused on writing. By now, his editors were already pestering him for the next installment on a weekly basis. Then there was the mystery magazine ('Secrets Weekly' if Yuusaku remembered correctly) that was hounding him for a contribution to their special story corner (they promised a centerfold with illustrated graphics, Yuusaku was hard pressed to refuse such a marketing offer).

"Yuu-chan…" Yukiko whined as she leaned into Yuusaku's forearm, head resting on the broad shoulders. "I want to have a baby." She whispered into his ears.

Yuusaku jolted from his position, accidentally smeared a long line of black across the whole page he had been writing. He looked into Yukiko's eyes with reddening face. They haven't even had their honeymoon (again, blame the editors and Yukiko's rabid fans. Hiding out at the apartment was the best they could do for now until the whole wedding thing has blown over) and Yukiko wanted to have a child? Wasn't such things reserved for during the honeymoon?

"Yukiko…" Yuusaku turned to face her fully. "I think we should wait a bit. At least until we move to Beika." He reasoned. Providing somewhere safe, where they could live anonymously, was paramount before trying for a baby. He remembered reading somewhere that stress was not good for pregnancy.

"I know, I know." Yukiko instantly deflated before her face turned to a mischievous grin. "You'd want us to christen our new house wouldn't you?"

Yuusaku's pen stuttered again as he was instantly red at the ears. He knew of Yukiko's teasing nature but her blatant statement was a shock. There was now a second line of black marking across the page.

"So have you decided on the design of the place yet? Have you managed to contact your architect friend?" Yukiko decided to let Yuusaku off the hook, at least for now. She could tease all she wanted after they've moved into their new house, which she could foresee being at least half a year later.

"Hiroshi and I are going over the final designs for the two houses tomorrow." Yuusaku, grateful for the change in topic, returned to his ruined gridded paper with a frown. Sighing, he pulled out another sheet of clean grid and started copying the first paragraph. "I was lucky that he was looking for a place to call his own. Else it would be difficult to sell that particular piece of land."

"Why is that?" Curiosity now piqued, Yukiko gave her husband a bit of space as she scooted further away from the scribbling author.

"There have been several bad rumours, nothing too serious. Only that when the previous owner tried to sell the building, it ended up with the buyer having a serious accident and had to cancel the sales before the money had been transferred." Yuusaku commented absentmindedly. "Then there were cases where, when the owner had been trying to rent several of the empty apartments out, the boarders either left two months into the contract or were caught up in incidents resulting in bad injuries. I think one had broken their leg while walking down the stairs of the apartment, the other fell over the balcony when drying laundry. It's possible that they were caught in accidents because of the state of disrepair, but all the same, there were many more. I think one had involved a black cat, another with a broken mirror or something like that..." He trailed off.

"And yet here you are, all safe and sound, half a year after the sales went through. You've even paid for it upfront." Yukiko was not sure whether to feel horrified at the series of unfortunate events (even though Yuusaku said they were rumours, she believed at least the stories about the boarders were real) or if she should be glad that nothing happened to him. "I guess this means the places was destined to be bought by you."

Yuusaku gurgled something incoherent. It sounded creepy coming from his wife, especially after he stated the various rumours that he heard from the real estate agent. "Is there a specific style you like our house to be?" He asked in an attempt to change the topic from ominous land purchases to something a tad bit lighter.

"Hm…" Yukiko placed a manicured finger on her chin, still adorned with the rose nail art from the wedding, as she thought contemplatively. "How about something dramatic? Three storey with a large front yard, metal gates and large foyer. And we must not forget about the kitchen. I like the open kitchen, one where we can sit around for breakfast on a lazy Sunday afternoon with our child running down from the stairs, all excited about being able to spend the weekend somewhere fun…" Yukiko could already see the picture, the happy smile and brightly lit rooms.

Somewhere in the back of Yuusaku's mind, a list of requirements were forming and shaping the exterior of their future house.

Yuusaku met up with the architect responsible for their houses' design the next day on the now empty lot. Without the dilapidated building occupying the majority of the space and with all the weeds and broken concrete removed, the plot of land looked barren. The surveyors had marked out where the subdivision was with their thick chalk line.

"Yuusaku-kun." Hiroshi was running up to meet him, panting ever so slightly because of the lack of exercise. He traded his usual white lab coat he wore in his office and lab at the university and his own dingy apartment, to something more generic that was definitely bought many years ago judging by the style of cut. "You're early today. No case?"

"I've just been married, I want to spend more time with Yukiko. Besides, it's about time I cut down on those." Yuusaku looked at the dirt land in front. "So, this is the place."

"Looks big. Though are you sure you won't regret selling the left half to me?" Hiroshi pointed at the smaller division of land. "You could build a bigger place."

"I don't want to give Yukiko too many ideas. If the place is too big, she'll either want to fill it with shopping, furniture, or worst, enough children to start a basketball team."

Hiroshi shared a smile with the shuddering man. He would never understand why Yuusaku, even for his love of the smiling faces on his younger fans, would shy away from raising his own child.

"I see you two already have plans for the future. I'm sure you'll grow to love the child, or children as the case might be…" He pat the young author on the back in encouragement. "It's not so bad."

"I'm not a good parent Hiroshi. I work all the time, I'm not even sure if I'm fit to be a father to some vulnerable child. And Yukiko had already declared she wanted to try for one...soon." Yuusaku hung his head, feet digging into the dirt before smoothing the soil away.

"I'm sure you'll be a great father. Don't sell yourself short."

They noticed another man running up to meet them by the road, a smartly dressed professional carrying a satchel and a sketchbook in his hands. He apologised for his lateness as he had been trapped in train accident. Someone fell over the tracks in an attempted suicide but was unhurt as the driver responded quick enough and the train was already travelling at a slow speed today. The architect flipped open the sketchbook to show them some of his previous works as he surveyed the land, to judge the size. After writing down the list of requirements for the two houses, the architect proceeded with some rough sketches on site. By noon, they had a good idea of what the final houses would look like and decided to grab a spot of lunch, which the architect had to regretfully decline in favour of another appointment.

"I have a few more clients in the area." He said. "The area is developing and many young couples have just bought a place to call their own. Though none is as big a project as your's Kudo-sensei." He teased before waving goodbye two blocks down.

As Yuusaku and Hiroshi chatted along deserted street, they were aware of the general quietness of the area. As it was during the weekday, students are all off in classes and adults attended to their jobs. Several housewives loitered about as they browsed through the day's fresh produce on offer at the shops. Some, younger housewives, prefered to stand and gossip on the latest celebrities.

"This place would be nice to raise children…" Yuusaku muttered out as they entered a small cafe. He noticed the emptiness of the building the cafe was housed in, with a row blank faces on the post boxes along the walls of the nearby staircase.

"A bit quiet though, it wasn't so when we were kids. I still remembered this place being full of life, children running about, shouting. And that park down the road with its newly installed slide." Their waiter came with the menu, describing Today's Special, before taking their orders of sandwiches and coffee. "I thought you and Yukiko-chan would be moving away from Japan after the wedding, to start fresh instead of staying where she would be stalked for being an actress."

"Oh, we get quite a few hate mails through her agent. Though it was to be expected. My own editors had forwarded some of the more inventive fanmail to my apartment. They were quite a good read." He commented offhandedly. His own fanmails were strange, though at least they were congratulatory in nature. Some of Yukiko's were disturbing and he was glad her agent had the mind to screen them before handing it over. "But we really feel we shouldn't leave Japan just yet. Maybe later, we can go live in the States for the while. Once my books have spread internationally and sales become more stable, but now, I think the publishers are still negotiating the terms for translation or something like that."

"Never would have thought you would be moving away from your detective work." Hiroshi laughed as he thanked their waiter. "You were so into it a couple of years back."

"That was before I met Yukiko." Yuusaku could still remember the day he bumped into the rising actress. It had been purely coincidental when they were both eating at the same restaurant and having him accidentally spilling his cup of water over her. There were embarrassment from both of them, but after paying for her lunch and the subsequent crime-of-passion that happened at the same restaurant (and Yuusaku having the need to solve it), they still managed to exchange phone numbers. It was not the best way to pick up a potential partner but it worked. "I don't want all our dates to end up bad because I ran into a crime along the way. Even worst, I can't possibly imagine Yukiko being taken as a hostage because I was a detective. I knew I had to do something about it. If we were to have children, I'm going to be stepping away from the detective work."

"And becoming an author seems like a good choice?" Hiroshi could easily detect the fondness from Yuusaku. The man loved his wife so much that it was blinding.

"I've seen enough crime drama, heard every possible excuse on the planet, my mind can easily supply me with several decades worth of stories."

"Only you my friend, has such an attraction towards bad luck." Shaking his head, Hiroshi reached for his sandwich. "It's good that you've at least thought about cutting down on your detective work, less dangerous for everyone all around."

The pair of friend parted during mid-afternoon where Yuusaku had to meet with his editors (again). He was already regretting his career choice now.

Six months into his marriage and Yukiko had been called to star in a film. It was a small supporting role but required her to take up some training. Yuusaku encouraged her to take on the job even though she was reluctant (they still haven't had their honeymoon yet and Yukiko still acted all lovey-dovey with him every day that melted much of the young author's mind). When Yuusaku finally met the so-call teacher for Yukiko's lesson, a couple of weeks after she agreed to star in the film, he was pleasantly surprised to see it was someone he recognised.

"Kuroba Toichi." He introduced himself as an uprising magician. Though Yuusaku knew there was more than that. The familiarity of the features were niggling at the back of Yuusaku's mind, it was from something he had seen recently. But the only thing he read about, in that much detail recently, were thief 1412's heist. To be honest, he had no interest in thieves before the ICPO sent over the packaged information to ask for his opinion.

Their luncheon were interspaced with table tricks, disappearing cutlery, and colour changing drinks (thankfully not flavour changing). A myriad of card tricks later, Yuusaku could see the similarities between 1412 and the magician in front of him. Once Yukiko left for the restroom, Yuusaku laid the most intense gaze he had in his arsenal to mentally confront the man. Kuroba Toichi snickered, not bothered at all by the accusatory gaze. In turn, he lifted an eyebrow as though to question what Yuusaku would do with this information. Sinking back into his chair, Yuusaku steepled his fingers.

"You better send me invitations." He announced, challenging the magician. "And you better prepare yourself, I won't go easy."

The magician opposite laughed out loud, Yuusaku grinning in response. Yukiko came back to the table to find the pair of men chatting amicably about the merits of smoke and mirrors and how best to hide in plain sight (a strange conversation topic but Yukiko had already accepted Yuusaku's quirks and knew her teacher was just as strange).

"I see you've become good friends." Yukiko commented during their trip back from Ekoda to their Tokyo apartment. "By the way the two of you were chatting, I would have thought you were childhood friends, not someone who had just met a few hours ago."

"What can I say? He's an interesting person." Eyes on the road, he missed Yukiko's questioning glance for him to explain. Shaking her head, she turned her own gaze towards the streetscape flashing by the side windows.

"Say, can we stop by our house in Beika? I want to see it being built." Yukiko threw in her puppy-dog eyes for good measure. The drive would be somewhat out of the way but she really wanted to see how things were going. Not being able to resist, Yuusaku complied and made a deliberate u-turn in the other direction.

He parked the car opposite to the twin construction site. Scaffolding were erected to stop dust and noise, several trucks were parked and unloading timber and other material. The foundations for both houses (including the two hidden tunnels that allows for sneaking between the houses) had been laid a month earlier and works were just beginning for the ground floor. Yuusaku poked his head through the cordoned area, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the workers. Instead, he found the site foreman observing the laying of concrete.

"Kudo-sensei!" He was startled to see the author peeking into the construction site. Quickly, he left instructions to the workers and went out into the streets. "What brings you here? You should have called ahead."

"It was on the spur of the moment." Yuusaku motioned for Yukiko. "This is my wife, she wanted to see how the house is progressing."

"Well, I can certainly give the two of you a tour right now. Hold on a minute." Disappearing back through the flaps, he emerged moments later with two bright yellow hard hats. "Here, you need to be properly equipped. Also watch where you're stepping, wouldn't want you to stub a toe."

Ducking through the heavy material hanging from the scaffold, they were met with the bustling of workers, all busy with their task. Two pouring concrete over a wooden pile, several were up on the beams, securing the rest of the wooden framework. There was a small area set aside as the workshop for fabrication.

"Well, the foundation is now solid, we have the basement set. Along with that little bit extra." The foreman gave Yuusaku a wry smile. "We're hoping to have the framework ready before end of the month, so in about a fortnight, we should have all the wooden structure. The ground floor would be laid after…" He went on to describe where the staircase would be, how the kitchen would look, when and electric and plumbing would be connected.

"That incident with the relic took up a bit of time, having to bring in people to excavate and whatnot. But thankfully, it was removed and I think the local university is examining it." The foreman directed their gaze towards what they assume to be the entrance to the basement. "It was found as we were preparing the foundation and basement, nothing too serious or notable. Though they might contact you later to see what you want to do with the relic."

Throughout the tour, Yukiko had a look of wonderment in her eyes. She could already see the finishings, and was already wondering what types of furniture would suit their house best. Just as she was deciding on the colour scheme, someone screamed for them to be careful. Moments later, a hammer dropped mere inches from where the foreman stood.

"BE CAREFUL!" The foreman yelled up to the worker straddling the wooden beam high above. It was luck that he had not been hit. "I'm going to dock your pay if I catch you so clumsy one more time!"

A hurried apology followed in a slurry of words. The foreman sighed and shook his head. "Sorry you had to see that."

"Does that happen often?" Yuusaku looked around the worksite once more. It looked as though everyone was very careful with their tasks and this contractor came with a good reputation.

"Unfortunately so for this site. We've been having quite a few incidents, though nothing serious. Machines breaking down for no reason, falling tools, missing timber. Though I chalk it up to not having enough safety training and nearby kids meddling with our wares." The foreman showed them out of the construction site. "The site next door has been a little bit better but then again, the construction style is different. They're relying mostly on pre-fabricated parts whereas we're making the parts on site. There's a lot more woodwork involved in this house."

Thanking the foreman for his hospitality and apologising for coming so suddenly, they walked back to their car. Yukiko was extremely silent that Yuusaku thought something was wrong.

"Nothing Yuu-chan." Shaking her head, she took hold of Yuusaku's hands. "Probably a little bit shaken up from the falling hammer."

Kissing the back of Yukiko's hands, he reassured his wife that everything would be fine before starting up the car.

Yuusaku should have known the day was not about to end when his wife once again asked him to drive towards the shopping district. This time though, they were looking at furnitures, specifically wooden furniture. Yukiko commented that she wanted to furnish the house with more old-styled furniture, large wooden table in the dining room, a grand piano in one of the ground floor rooms so she could teach their children music. She had gracefully let Yuusaku decide on the furniture for the library and study seeing as those would be the places he would be spending the most time in and would be awkward to see so much of her influence in the interior design (her reasoning was that it would ultimately become his _man-cave_ and it would be strange for her to have a hand in decorating it).

They pair had gone furniture hunting for the duration between the visit and until the day when the house was complete. Each weekend or on the days that Yukiko had no filming, had Yuusaku driving Yukiko to some shop she managed to find. On days when she had filming, she would be seen with an interior design magazine, browsing through the pages and tagging things that caught her attention. When the day of moving in finally came, Yukiko was nearly bouncing from the walls.

"Oh, it's wonderful." Yukiko kissed Yuusaku passionately on the lips, in full view of the movers who had been busily carrying furniture between the truck and the house. "It looks better than I've imagined." Though the front yard was still barren, the path between the gate and front door had been laid with small decorative ornaments. The large white balls atop of the gate pillars containing the street lights by the gate glistened under the afternoon sun. The white walls contrasted steeply with the black wrought iron gates, that pushed smoothly away as they walked down the path. Stepping into the threshold, there was still the smell of fresh wood and the lingering scent of paint. The large foyer let in light from the upper windows, painting the room with bright sunshine. Everything looked perfect in Yukiko's eyes, the only thing left was to complete their own little family.

That night, as they shared the large king size canopy bed, skin touching skin, Yuusaku dreamt.

He was standing opposite a dark cloaked figure, which had three lumpy objects leaning onto the hems of his cloak. A bony hand pointed at Yuusaku and two lumps moved, first slowly across the large expanse between Yuusaku and the cloaked figure, then picked up pace. The closer they came, the more Yuusaku could pick up small features of a baby. The faster one, who was already within reaching distance of the young author, had tame hair and bright blue eyes. Reaching down to pick the boy up, the boy giggled and laughed, and Yuusaku could not help but smile. He ruffled the dark locks of hair, noticing the softness and coldness seeping through the tiny body. On instinct, he held the boy tighter to his body. The second baby (Yuusaku also assumed it to be a boy) was struggling slightly but was slowly gaining speed as soon as he saw Yuusaku. The messy brown hair bobbed as the baby attempted to move his arms and legs faster towards Yuusaku. When he was within reaching distance, Yuusaku crouched down to pick the boy up but found the act difficult for he did not want to lose his hold on the already cold boy. Touching the face of the new baby now by his legs, he also felt the iciness, but his hands were already full from dealing with the blue-eyed boy. A hand landed on his shoulders before reaching out to take the boy by his legs. The boy struggled at first, clinging onto Yuusaku but the author forcefully removed the boy and guided the boy towards the outstretched hands. Bright violet eyes looked back up at him as though questioning Yuusaku why he was pushing him away but Yuusaku knew he had to be firm in his decision or the boy would not survive.

Glancing back at the cloaked figure, there was still one bundle struggling to move. It made several lurches, tumbling and turning, but it barely made it into the lit up area that surrounded Yuusaku and the disembodied hands. The two boys looked at the lump, hands reaching out as though calling for it to hurry up or giving it support, but the lump still struggled. Yuusaku could see chains forming from the wisps of mist surrounding them, and holding the boy back.

"Your choice." A voice echoed in darkness. The bony hand of the cloaked figure once again pointed at Yuusaku, behind him, another more recognisable voice spoke.

"Don't worry about this young one, I'll give him a home."

Turning his gaze towards the small lump, eyes wide but not as bright as the one in his own grasp, he reached out his hands but pulled them back before he could touch the skin. He knew he would not be able to take both boys into his arms, he had to sacrifice one.

"Very well." The voice in darkness sounded in approval. The mist gathered, obscuring the little lump. The boys wailed in unison, sadness prominent in their voice even if they were unable to form words. "Wise choice for he would not be fit for you or your family." As the darkness receded, Yuusaku was made aware of how the little boy in his grasp felt warmer to the touch. There was still a tint of sadness in his eyes, but it was slowly lifting, filling with laughter and joy.

Yuusaku blinked his eyes opened to see light streaming into the bedroom through the sheer curtains. Yukiko was snug against his chest, clinging tight onto his waist. Yuusaku smiled at the general sense of happiness even though he could not remember much of his own dreams save for bright blue eyes and a cheerful smile. He only knew something good had happened.

Two months later, in late autumn just as the leaves have begun to fall, his hunches were proven correct as Yukiko bounded up to him from the front porch after her doctor's appointment.

"I'm pregnant!" She leapt into Yuusaku's arms, who was surprised, shocked, and overall very happy at the sudden turn of events. "I'm so so happy!"

Yuusaku quickly brought his wife indoors, not wanting her to catch a cold especially since she did not have her jacket. He then proceeded to admonish her for jumping and dancing all over their living room. The actress was already planning her retirement from show-biz and thinking about the colour scheme for their child's room.

"So, boy or girl?" She asked as she settled down on the large sofa in front of the TV, which was showing a rerun of one of her older dramas.

"Boy." Yuusaku said surely. "It'll be a boy."

"I think it'll be a girl." Yukiko patted her abdomen. "It'll be nice to have someone to dress up with."

Shaking his head, he decided not to inform his wife of that dream long ago. If it was premonition about their future child, she did not have to know he gave up the other two who was supposed to be borne into their family. He still had lingering regretful feelings of the dream, how he was unable to save the smallest one. But it was supposed to be a dream and nothing more. Though what bothered him was the cloaked figure, with its bony hands and ominous aura. It did not feel natural nor one that would be giving life.

"Yuu-chan, you're spacing out again." Yukiko poked Yuusaku in the cheeks. "I think we should go look for furniture and baby clothing."

"Isn't that against tradition?" He remembered reading somewhere it was bad luck to look at baby things so early in the pregnancy. "Shouldn't we wait until we know the gender at least?"

"But by then, it'll be difficult for me to go out." Yukiko pouted, adding the puppy-eye effect.

Yuusaku struggled to stay firm but in the end, he drove the car from the nearby parking lot to pick Yukiko from the front of their home.

In the beginning of May, just as spring was coming to an end and summer was just around the corner, their baby took the first breath. When Yuusaku laid eyes on their baby, the little eyelids opened to reveal a startling shade of blue, the same colour as that in Yuusaku's dreams.

"Look at him." Yukiko smiled tiredly from the hospital bed as their son reached out his little hands for something to grab on. The boy had inexplicable amounts of energy for someone who was just borne into the world. "He's already curious."

Yuusaku reached out his hands, letting the little digits poke and prod at his palm then finally settling on grabbing a finger all too big for the little fist. He didn't bother to hold back the smile.

Several hours later, back in the private room of the hospital (for the doctors had wanted to make sure Yukiko was healthy and strong before letting her leave, there had been slight complication during the birth) both Yuusaku and Yukiko were showered with confetti. Streamers rained down from the ceiling and balloons rose from the floor beneath the bed (which Yuusaku had checked beforehand for any listening devices and whatnots, who knows what the paparazzi would do to sniff out a scoop). Yukiko had giggled from her position on the bed as their magician friend made his appearance in a burst of smoke.

"Congratulations friend." Toichi patted Yuusaku on the back before producing a small teddy bear with flair, catching the baby's attention. "And hello there young Kudo."

The baby laughed as he made grabby hands towards the fluffy teddy.

"So what's his name?" He inquired, letting go of the teddy. The boy latched onto the teddy's ears, biting and mouthing the small clump of fabric.

"Shinichi." Yukiko looked lovingly down at the curious boy in her arms who now abandoned thoughts of chewing through the teddy, instead it turned the toy and tried to pull at the arms and legs.

"Quite energetic for a newborn. I heard they normally would be asleep by now." Blue eyes looked up at the speaker, as though he detected the voice was talking about him.

"Quite. The doctors said it was uncommon. But all considered, he's healthy and that's all it matters." Yuusaku reached out to take the boy from Yukiko so she could rest her arms. Gently, he lifted Shinichi and held it to his chest. "What about your own little bundle? When is your baby due?"

"Chikage is having a check-up, we're expecting to be in two months but who knows." Toichi shrugged his shoulders. "Babies are unpredictable." There was a wry smile on his face, one that told Yuusaku there was more to it than the words spoken. In the young author's mind, a theory was beginning to form, one that involved the supernatural and precognitive dreams.

During their short conversation, Shinichi fell asleep in Yuusaku's arms. The drop of the teddy onto the floor notified them the boy was exhausted and Yuusaku promptly returned Shinichi to the small bed by Yukiko's side. Toichi excused himself, stating he would be bringing Chikage around after the appointment so the wives could chat. Yuusaku saw the magician out.

"Say…" Yuusaku began as he closed the doors behind him, "when your wife asked you whether you think the baby was boy or girl, what did you reply?"

"Boy. Definitely a boy. Without a doubt." Toichi stated surely. "I saw him myself, that energetic boy from my dreams. I'm quite sure of it. And I'm guessing you know it as well."

"I've never believed in the supernatural before, but Shinichi kind of confirmed it for me." Yuusaku turned his gaze back towards the doors before waving the magician to go pick up his wife before said wife chewed him out.

Yuusaku would have loved to say the years had gone by like the flow of water as he watched Shinichi grow from the small baby to the now five year old. Unfortunately, each day was filled with adventure.

Before Shinichi's first birthday, Yuusaku remembered going to the playpen to retrieve Shinichi for an immune shot. He found the playpen perfectly intact but Shinichi was missing from the inside. A frazzled search around the room revealed nothing and only when Yuusaku moved towards the closed doors of the library, had he heard the gurgled sounds of Shinichi somehow sounding extremely excited and happy. Opening the doors, Shinichi was found perched on a shelf tucked between encyclopedias and mystery novels. Yuusaku nearly had a heart attack, his son had escaped and managed to climb up several shelves. From that point on, Yuusaku made sure to stay besides Shinichi, barely stepping out of the house. Yuusaku had dropped his detective work all together, focusing his efforts on his novels.

At age 3, Shinichi was introduced to the small bundle known as Kuroba Kaito. An energetic and overly curious boy. Shinichi, who was on the shy side, had immediately taken a liking to Kaito. They became attached to the point where the two sets of parents were constantly visiting each other. They would often meet at a nearby park, where the wives would have the afternoon off and the husbands were tasked with babysitting. Kaito and Shinichi would busy themselves at the sandpit. But one particular incident had neither fathers wanting to bring their children back. One sunny afternoon, during their discussion on the merits of walking on air, silence suddenly overcame the normally energetic Kaito. They had dismissed it at first until the silence persisted. Toichi was the one who saw what caught the two boy's attention. Inside the sandpit was a clear plastic bag containing what seems to be a rusty red liquid. The tangy metallic smell seeped through and Toichi hulled the boys away. Both looked up with curiosity, before turning their gaze back at the dug hole and the empty space besides the two kneeled indents made by the playing boys. Yuusaku was quick to report to the police, who later told him the plastic bag contained a fresh dismembered finger but the body had yet to be found. Instead of participating in the investigation, Yuusaku took the boys to a child psychologist, just in case. Neither boys were pronounced traumatized, only very bright and highly adaptive.

When the boys were strong enough to run and play, earning restless afternoons for the parents, the Kurobas and Kudos would often take longer trips. To theme parks, beaches, and camping. The most harrowing experience came during one of their theme park visits, where Yuusaku not only found his son's love for haunted houses but also Shinichi's knack of finding trouble. That was not surprising in itself for Shinichi had a very curious nature. Rather than become scared of dark and spooky places, Shinichi would often be found giggling and pointing at dark shadows when he had been younger. Now, at age 5, Shinichi would actively look for such places as though it holds the answers to the world. During this trip, the boys ran around, poked their heads into bushes and hid behind dumpsters and alleyways. The parents had panicked when Kaito nor Shinichi returned to their side and had nearly called security when their children failed to return. The parents were not relieved even as Kaito ran up to them unhurt. Kaito tugged at their shirt to pull them towards Shinichi's location, who stood staring at an unmarked luggage standing beside a support beam for the rollercoaster. Yuusaku, recognising it for what it was, quickly pulled Shinichi away and pushed him into Yukiko's arms, instructing them to go as far away as possible. The police later reported the luggage to contain a bomb, part of a threat that was issued that very same morning. They commented that Shinichi had been lucky to not set it off, to which the parents decided to call it a day. Yuusaku never bothered to find out about that incident, only it was reported days later that the culprit was still on the loose.

Their son rarely cries, as a baby the only time he uttered a sound was when hunger strikes. As a young child, tears were only formed when skin was broken. When brought to moody restaurants or places that should set other babies off, Shinichi remained calm with his bright blue eyes, peering into the darkness. Sometimes, Yuusaku had to wonder what goes on inside that brain of his.

"Ne, 'tou-san." Shinichi tugged Yuusaku on the sleeve, breaking him out of his reminiscence. Yuusaku looked down at his wide-eyed son clutching onto a picture book of the Great Mouse Detective.

"Yes, Shinichi?" Lifting his son to sit on his laps, he assumed his son wanted him to read the story book but Shinichi did not hand the book over.

"Why is that person always standing so close to 'kaa-san?" His inquisitive eyes looked up, not registering ahd shock in Yuusaku and taking his silence as need for further information. "You know, the one wearing the black cloak? He's really really close. I've tried asking him but 'kaa-san was looking at me funny."

Yuusaku knew Shinichi had a knack of locating strange things, but by far this was the strangest. "Where have you seen this person?"

"Um...he was across the street at first, but last time 'kaa-san took us to the supermarket, he was standing close. And he followed us home!" Shinichi gripped tighter onto his book. "Who is that person?"

"I wouldn't worry." Yuusaku tries to soothe his boy by ruffling his hair. "Just ignore that person and he should be gone."

"But he's always been there! That time with that strange package, and at the park, and at the mall…" Shinichi listed all the times he found a crime in action, whether it was dropped goods from a robbery, bombs from terrorists, kidnapped children, and dismembered limbs. Yuusaku had thought it was all coincidences but apparently, Shinichi just never told anyone. "And then there was also the little kid that's always with the cloaked person. He looked just like me, only a lot smaller."

"What little kid?" Yuusaku held back the suspicion in his voice.

"Small boy, tiny. Blue eyes that always stared at me. I tried talking to him, asked if he wanted to play but he just disappears." He replied as though he was saddened by the lost chance at making a new friend. "He looked really lonely and I thought we could be friends."

Yuusaku wasn't sure what he could say, instead kissed his boy at the temple and told him not to worry. Shinichi nodded obediently but remained inside the library, taking up residence on the plush beanbag at the corner designated for children's books. Yuusaku frowned as Shinichi buried his head into the book. Strange circumstances had rattled his nerves.

A week later, Yuusaku received a hurried called from Megure. He had thought it was a request for a case but the inspector's distressed tone was cause for Yuusaku to rush towards the hospital. The older inspector met Yuusaku at the entrance.

"Yukiko, where is she? Where's Shinichi?" Yuusaku was out of breath from his run between his car, parked haphazardly in front, and the hospital's front desk.

"She's in the OR. Shinichi-kun has been admitted." Megure rattled off the room number and guided Yuusaku to the children's ward. "It had been a hit-and-run." He informed the frazzled author-slash-father plainly, stating how the driver ran a light, hit the mother and child during crossing.

"'Tou-san." Shinichi struggled out of his blanket. He had a cast on his leg, bandages wrapped around his arms, and several colourful Band-aids stuck on his cheeks and forehead. Yuusaku rushed to his son's side, trying to stop him from aggravating the injuries. "It was a black car, really really black car. But had a silver horse in front."

It was strange for Yuusaku to hear his son able to describe in detail about the car that hit them. He recognized some of the characteristics as being that of the car involved in a series of traffic accidents for the past week. Megure had called him up a few days ago to ask his opinion but Yuusaku was still going through the information that was sent over.

"And 'kaa-san...she, she hugged me. And...and…" Droplets of tears threatened to fall from his boy's eyes and Yuusaku carefully hugged him.

"Shh….It's alright. Everything would be fine." He patted his son gently, coaxing the boy to calm down. But Shinichi just remained still in his arms, which Yuusaku had to pull away to make sure Shinichi was doing fine.

"It was my fault. If I said something…It was always there when something happens." Shinichi pulled tighter at Yuusaku's shirt. "It was my fault, 'kaa-san was hurt because she tried to protect me…"

"It's not your fault Shinichi." It took a good portion of the hour to calm Shinichi down. By the time his son fell asleep, his wife's operation was over and he left Shinichi in the care of the nurses. He could foresee his son to start panicking the moment he wakes up but he really needed to check on his wife.

Megure was talking with one of the doctors out in the corridor when Yuusaku finally arrived. The doctor had a grim look on his face.

"Are you her husband?" The doctor asked, turning away from Megure's questioning. Yuusaku nodded, not trusting his voice. "We've done all we could be she had suffered extensive injuries. There were mass internal bleeding caused by punctured organs. The impact of the car was by far the worst I've seen. There were also minor fractures on the hips, legs and arms. We have to wait until she wakes up before doing any scans or tests for brain damage but so far, we have not found indications that she would have suffered. I can allow the husband to stay with her for now if you want."

"Thank you doctor. If you could send over your reports to the police, that would be helpful." Megure then turned to the distressed author. "Yuusaku-kun, go see your wife. I'll can have Kogoro close by Shinichi-kun's room. Do you want me to help you call someone more familiar?"

"I can give you the number. I think they would want to know." Yuusaku rattled off the Kuroba's home number before following the doctor towards Yukiko's room.

Yukiko looked extremely fragile tucked in between white starched sheets and bandages, quite different from the boisterous presence Yuusaku was used to. He pulled over a flimsy plastic chair and set himself up for a night of vigil. He somehow knew his wife would not be opening her eyes anytime tonight.

That night, Yuusaku's mind was cluttered with thoughts of 'what-ifs' and 'could-have-beens'. His son's words echoed in his mind as he pondered whether there was something he could do. He questioned why such things happened to his lovely wife and whether it could have been prevented, if he had not put it aside that time when Megure called, Yukiko won't be lying on the bed now. A lone voice echoed in his mind that told him if he had stayed true on his path, became what he was destined to be, none of this would have happened. He shook his head to clear out the thought before returning his gaze to his stilled wife.

His mind ran then on tangents as worry and frustration waged war, wondering from if Shinichi was sleeping or was he crying, to what Yukiko's first words when she wakes up would be. He must have drifted off as he was suddenly startled awake by the sound of sliding doors.

"You look like hell Yuusaku." Toichi walked in by himself, settling to stand by Yuusaku as they watched the rise and fall of the blanket. "Chikage and Kaito are with Shinichi at the moment. How are you holding up?"

"I feel horrid." Yuusaku admitted, cringing as he heard a pop when he moved his neck. "What time is it?"

"Noon. Don't tell me you fell asleep in here." Toichi shook his head before urging Yuusaku out of the chair. "Clean yourself up, see your son before coming back. I'll be here just in case."

Yuusaku was about to protest but knew his friend would start pulling threats (and pranks) out if he dallied any longer. He complied with much reluctance to freshen himself and check on Shinichi.

His son's room was slightly more lively with Kaito pulling out tricks and managing to sneak in a dove. Yuusaku wasn't complaining when he noticed a small smile on Shinichi's face. He walked over to give his son a kiss on the temple and informed Chikage of the whereabouts of her husband. She laid a comforting hand on his shoulders before directing him to the small bento she made. Graciously, to took the food and settled by the bedside as he listened to Kaito's stories about the cat next door and his doves and a bottle of food dye (he was surprised that Chikage had not scolded Kaito for the prank). It was late afternoon when the doctors came back to check whereby the three visitors were told to leave. Shinichi looked as though there was something he wanted say and Yuusaku went closer to ruffle the still neat locks.

"'Tou-san." Shinchi kept his eyes downcasted. "'Kaa-san said she doesn't want you to worry."

Startled, he turned back to look at his son. "Why do you think that?"

"I didn't think. I know. She told me just now." Shinichi stated with a soft voice. "She was here. That small boy brought her here."

"Shinichi." Lost for words, and ignoring the annoyed glare from the doctor, Yuusaku went to hug his son once more. "Please, stop this." His voice must have sounded pained because Shinichi flinched in his arms.

"'Tou-san…" Shinichi pushed him away. "I'm not lying. It's true. She was here. She said she'll come by again later!" Shinichi gripped tightly on the bedsheet, tears threatening to fall once more.

"Kudo-san." The doctor sternly reminded Yuusaku to stop aggravating Shinichi and instead of checking up on the boy, he led Yuusaku out of the doors, pausing to explain the situation. "It is normal for the child to experience this, his young mind may be trying to understand what happened and could be conjuring up imaginary scenarios. I would suggest to let him speak his mind for the time being and if it persists, I'll recommend a child psychologist."

Nodding, Yuusaku let the doctor do his work as he sat outside with Kaito. Chikage had left to check on her husband moments after they stepped out of the room but Kaito had refused to leave.

"Yuusaku-ojisan, Shin-chan would be fine." Kaito tried to comfort, producing a tissue flower from his sleeves. "I heard he would be fine, and Yukiko-neechan would be fine as well."

"And where did you hear that?" Yuusaku decided to entertain the boy and agree with him.

"That's what _they_ said when _they_ came into the room, when 'kaa-san left briefly to get juice for us." His wide violet eyes looked up directly in Yuusaku. "You shouldn't be sad. _They_ said as long as you're here, as long as you have Shin-chan, everything would be fine _here_."

Chikage came back at the exact moment when Yuusaku wanted to question further. The Kurobas had to leave them since visitation hours were over. Yuusaku decided to stay for a while longer, though this time not returning to Shinichi's rooms but instead went to Yukiko's room. He stared down at his wife's pale face, wondering what Shinichi and Kaito had meant. He was interrupted once again by the nurse, even as he told the nurse this was his wife, the nurse had firmly told him he should not be staying here for two days straight. Sighing, he trudged towards his car and carefully drove himself home.

Looking up at the house, the large mansion felt oppressive. The silence echoing through the rooms was painful to Yuusaku's ears. Browsing through the cupboard, he made himself a bowl of instant noodles, bland and tasteless but he knew once Yukiko wakes up and knows he had not eaten, there would be hell to pay. Letting the dirty dishes soak in the sink, he returned to his only sanctuary-the library. Here, he tries to begin the next installment of his new novel, the Night Baron, but inspiration was nowhere to be found. Deciding to call it a night, and hoping to wake early for tomorrow's visitation hours, he turned towards the bedroom.

"You should not have turned a blind eye towards the world." A whisper cut through the silence in the middle of the night. Yuusaku's senses told him no one was in the room yet he distinctly heard a voice. "Even with _Our_ prompts, you have not acted."

Yuusaku reasoned with the voice that he had done so in order to protect everything he has right now.

"Very well, someone else would have to take up your mantle. Let us hope your son would fare better and embrace these new gifts."

Yuusaku quickly opened his eyes, facing the darkness as dawn was just breaking through their window.

"What have I done." He asked the empty space, somehow knowing he just condemned his son to a life of misfortune.

 **-TBC-**


	2. Death

**-Tales at 2-2-1 Beika-**

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This fic was supposed to be finished in time for Halloween but I still have 1 more chapter to go so...at least this chapter's up which is good right?

* * *

 **-02: Death-**

Two weeks after the car accident, Shinichi returned home with Yuusaku. His son was still wheelchair bound, much to said boy's annoyance, and most of the time Shinichi was kept to his own room. The Kuroba's were a great help, willing to babysit Shinichi as Yuusaku went to visit his now comatosed wife. It was painful for him to walk into the whitewashed room of the long-term ward in the early afternoon and talk to his unresponsive wife. He would bring flowers; lovely azaleas, pink camellias, bunches of white hyacinths, and sprigs of primroses. He would always accompany his bouquet with a bright red rose stuck in between flowers and decorative greens.

Replacing the stale water in the vase by Yukiko's bedside, he proceeded to give her an update of Shinichi, how he was always restless and trying to alleviate boredom by nearly destroying the room. He let out a bitter laugh.

"You really should have seen how he threw a tantrum when I told him he's not allowed in the library. Still, he had managed to acquire several books from the library. I'm not sure whether it was Kaito-kun or Toichi who indulged him. The books were always different every time I go into his room." De remembered one of Shinichi's books nearly decapitated his head when he walked in, Yuusaku would have never thought his son would have such an arm or such a temper. Then again, Shinichi did inherit half of Yukiko's genes and she was a born actress who had quite a temper when angered.

Yukiko remained still as ever, nothing in the room moved save for the curtains that fluttered in the wind. Yuusaku looked down at his folded hands.

"He's always saying you've talked to him. Just this morning, he told me you went into his room to wish him good night before he went to bed. I'm...not sure what I should do now." Brushing aside the stray fringe he rested his palms on Yukiko's warm cheeks. "I know I should give him time, it's only been two weeks, but it's worrying. What would you do Yukiko?" Brushing aside a stray strand of blond hair, Yuusaku gazed at Yukiko's face as though she would open those startling eyes any moment, as though the women of his heart just fell asleep like sleeping beauty. He bent down, to lay a kiss like the prince but received no response.

Yuusaku left as soon as the nurse came for a checkup. He had stayed for over two hours and he did not want to impose Shinichi on the Kurobas too much. Taking one last look for the day at his lovely wife, he left with heavy heart to pick up that reviewed manuscript and some grocery. It was a relief that his editors had not bothered him since. They had been gracious enough to give him time and space to settle back down. The accident had been published in the papers and he had received many calls and letters of condolences. Several of his international correspondents actually asked if it were anything serious (or possibly an intentional hit on the ex-detective-now-turned-full-time-author and his family) and had suggested doctors for a second opinion. He had declined them so far, hoping that Yukiko would wake up on her own. Even with mass publicity, it grated on his nerves that the culprit was still not found. The thirst for retribution was long gone from Yuusaku's mind, but it would help him overcome the sense of pain to see the culprit pay for the crime. He had visited the site of the accident the third day after his wife and son was in hospital. All evidences pointed to intention for hurt. There had been no skid marks on the road to indicate the vehicle slowing down, there were no scuff marks on nearby railings or broken glass to show the driver's panic, and what was worst was that the accident was located in an area without camera surveillance. He knew Megure was pulling many favours from his colleagues to have Yuusaku involved in the case, even in very limited capacity. There were possible conflict of interest to have the victim's family involved. It had become Division One's case when it was proven to be intentional rather than a traffic accident.

"'Tou-san, okaeri!" Shinichi greeted brightly from the foyer. Toichi adjusted his hold on the boy.

"Your son would not take no for an answer. Neither would mine stop bothering me." Toichi gave a stern look to Kaito who stood close by Toichi's legs, clinging tight with a dove on his shoulder. Even the dove looked guilty and Yuusaku had to wonder how the magicians managed to train their animals to show emotions.

"Shinichi, you should not have bothered him." Taking his son into his arms, he walked them towards the dining room where Chikage was cooking them dinner. Since it was the weekend, the Kurobas have decided to stay over to keep the two Kudos company. "How did you know I'm going to step through the doors?"

"I just do." Shinichi looked guiltily, biting on his bottom lips and not commenting any further. Yuusaku just chalked it up to Shinichi just having a hunch and good sixth sense when it comes to him.

"Still, you should not have asked Toichi-jisan to bring you down."

"But I wanted to meet you at the door. 'Kaa-san wante...would want me to I mean." It seems to Yuusaku that Shinichi was definitely hiding something. The author looked towards Kaito, who always seemed to be able to pick up when Shinichi was lying, even by omission, but the young magician-in-training just hid himself behind the dove he was holding.

"Shinichi. I...talked to your mother today." Yuusaku decided to use the same language as his son, at least show that he shared his sentiments. "You shouldn't be so hung up on this."

"I know." Shinichi stared down at the table top. "I know you told 'kaa-san about what I said, I know you asked 'kaa-san what you should do and she said to…" Shinichi suddenly cut off his sentence and covered his own mouth with both hands. He appeared scared, as though he did something bad and was found out by his parents. Kaito suddenly produced a burst of smoke and confetti, his two doves flew out of his hands and zoomed around the dining room.

"Kaito!" Chikage shouted from the stove. "You're not supposed to practice magic at the table."

"Sorry 'kaa-san." Kaito muttered as he cleaned up the mess, he spared Shinichi a conspiratorial look. Both boys gathered up the confetti under Chikage's watchful eyes as Yuusaku was pulled aside by Toichi.

"Yuusaku-kun, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but with the way your son is going, you might want to consider a change of scenery or bring him to the doctors as the case may be." The normally cheerful magician sounded forced, as though not wanting to consider the possibility of the young Shinichi falling into mental disorders.

Yuusaku turned to look at the boys, who were now conversing in whispers and hushed tones. Every now and then, they would look up at a random direction as though to listen to a silent voice.

"I'm not so sure. Maybe when Shinichi's injuries are fully healed…" And he hoped by then Yukiko would be awake and Shinichi would return to being the overly curious and polite boy. He would never stop hoping and wishing for his wife's recovery.

The Kurobas were offered the guest room for the whole family but Kaito insisted on staying with Shinichi. The boys fitted themselves onto the single bed, with Shinichi sleeping sandwiched between Kaito and the wall (Kaito had insisted just in case Shinichi manages to fall over). After seeing the elder Kurobas to their room (they had been worn down thoroughly by the boys that afternoon, something about Shinichi still managed to play hide-and-seek even with a healing leg), Yuusaku decided to see if the boy's wanted to a bedtime story. He couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Ne, Kaito." Shinichi poked at the doves in the young magician's palms. The white bird hopped between the hands before fluttering away to land on Kaito's shoulders. "Should I not have said anything?"

"Well...your 'tou-san said to never lie…" Kaito offered sagely, "and Yukiko-neechan did tell you not to worry Yuusaku-jisan."

The two looked at a darkened corner of the bedroom. Even though the place was filled with light, one particular corner had been filled with shadows casted by the bookshelves and wardrobe.

"And Yukiko-neechan is nagging you not to do something that makes 'ji-san too...was the word frazzled Yukiko-neechan?" Kaito cocked his head in question, he was addressing directly towards the shadows. "See, she agrees with me. By the way, have you heard anything from that man?"

Yuusaku had to frown, had the boys left the house during the time he was away and when the adults had turned their backs? But it was near impossible given Shinichi still needs an aide to walk.

"He said it wasn't time yet. He told me it'll still be around and…'kaa-san...she…" Shinichi sniffled. "I don't want her to leave but unless we find that person, she can't stay forever."

"Don't you think you should tell your father then? Maybe he could do something about it." There was soft cooing in the background, one of the doves landed on Shinichi's legs and started nuzzling at the soft material

Shinichi shook his head before flopping onto the mattress. "He said 'tou-san wouldn't understand." The dove waddled her way up the torso and began pecking at Shinichi's nose. "He said I'm still too young as well."

"But you are! And I don't like why he choose you when he could have chosen me as well!" Kaito pouted, arms crossed. "I don't like how you have to face this on your own. I'm sure neither does Yukiko-neechan."

"But if I can help 'tou-san, if I can save 'kaa-san…" The doves suddenly fluttered away and began pecking on the door, startling Yuusaku who had been standing outside. "'Tou-san?" Shinichi questioned. Kaito opened the door to reveal the eavesdropping author.

"Yuusaku-ojisan. Were you listening in on us?" Kaito's bright eyes were suspiciously void of accusations. Though it did hold a gleam of protectiveness.

"I wanted to see if you two wanted a bedtime story." He knelt down to pick the boy up and bring him back to bed. "But it seems I'll be the one getting a story instead." Yuusaku maneuvered both underneath the blankets, tucking the sides.

Shinichi bit his lips again, looking between Yuusaku and the shadowed corner. After what seemed like a silent deliberation, Shinichi looked directly at Yuusaku, blue eyes frightening bright.

" _He_ said, if we find the culprit, 'kaa-san would wake up." Shinichi muttered as he pulled up his blankets as though to hide. " _He_ said it was the only way. But _he_ also said you won't be able to do it because you turned your eyes away. Said I'll have to find it. But _he_ knows I won't be able to so that's why _he_ sent 'kaa-san back to us like this."

"Like what son." Kissing Shinichi on the forehead, Yuusaku no longer cared whether it was all made up in Shinichi's head. What matters is that even his own son finds the incident to be suspicious and his infant mind had already tagged it to be intentional.

"'Kaa-san is not really 'kaa-san if she doesn't coo and hug…" He blushed underneath the blankets. Yuusaku couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassment.

"I'll hug for you." Kaito wrapped an arm around Shinichi and proceeded to squeeze the life out of the boy. "See, I can help!"

Shinichi squirmed around, trying to push Kaito away with his weakened limbs and Yuusaku decided to leave them fight over blankets and pillows, knowing the pair would eventually fall asleep. Behind closed doors, Yuusaku frowned, mouth downturned and jaws locked. He knew his son was becoming slightly delusional but there was very little he could do to help (he doubted bringing the boy to the doctors would do much good). He had initially turned down the offer to help with the investigations, but it seems now he had to find the criminal himself if he wanted to see his son recover from this.

Kaito was reluctant to leave Shinichi behind on Sunday afternoon, clinging onto doorframes and booby-trapping the corridor to Shinichi's room where the boys had hauled themselves in. Toichi was the one to brave the silly string filled corridor (and had barely avoided the rope trap set in front of the bedroom doors) to retrieve the mischievous boy. It was a tearful goodbye but the Kuroba's had promised to visit again the coming weekend. It had become harder to separate the boys as they grew, some would think they were blood-brothers by the clingy-ness and the alike looks.

Yuusaku had coaxed Shinichi to return to school on Monday instead of following him to the police headquarters. Yuusaku had initially offered for him to stay with the professor next door, when Shinichi demanded to accompany Yuusaku but Shinichi had refused (the boy had somehow managed to perfect the Yukiko-puppy-eyes that Yuusaku was prone towards). Yuusaku reasoned this was because the boy was bored, therefore resulted in the compromise of letting him go to school. Shinichi had a fierce frown (an achievement for someone so young) but at least his son knew when to back down and accept defeat.

"Be careful and don't go suddenly running." Yuusaku warned as Shinichi shuffled out of the passenger seat with a crutch. "You know the numbers to call. The professor will pick you up after school, stay with him until I come back ok?"

"'Tou-san, I want to stay with you though…" Shinichi's eyes managed to look watery even if there was not a drop of tear in sight. "I want to find the person who hurt 'kaa-san as well."

"You're still a child. This is not something you should do." Ruffling his son's neat hair, he pushed the backpack into his hands. "Now, take care of yourself and no running or soccer."

Yuusaku watched as Shinichi trudged passed the gates, met by a nearby teacher who promptly took his backpack and ushered the boy indoors. Yuusaku turned his head back towards the road once Shinichi was safely inside the school building. But before he turned his car away, he thought he noticed a cloaked shadow by the lamp post, looking intently at the school entrance. In a blink of an eye, the shadow was gone. A chill set over Yuusaku, hoping it was merely his imagination and not something sinister.

Megure did not have any new information regarding the hit-and-run, but he did offer other cases to take Yuusaku's mind off, which was quickly turned down. Currently, the only case he wanted to work on would be the one involving his family.

"You used to take up anything that came your way Yuusaku. What changed?" Not too perturbed, merely curious at his friend's sudden change, Megure lead Yuusaku out of Division One's office in the police HQ in downtown Tokyo. "You wouldn't have turned down a case, though you're the one who normally comes to the police with information about a case."

"I'm just setting my priorities straight. I don't want expose Shinichi to these horrors of life."

"Being a detective and a father is difficult, some of my men have transferred away from Division One just so they wouldn't paint a target on their families. But you, my friend, is practically a celebrity nowadays. It wouldn't change much if you took back up your previous work habits."

"Did those higher-ups say something?" Yuusaku reasoned the only purpose for his friend's sudden prowess to see him return to a life of crime-solving. Megure was actually the first person to support his decision for leaving the detective business.

"They've noticed the crime rates rising ever since you've stopped with your private consultations." Megure looked resigned. "Tokyo always had a higher crime rate than other Japanese cities. But that is a given seeing as it's densely populated. They wanted something to blame, something that they can take action towards. However, if I were you, I'd stick to my guns and forget about those people. The safety of family always comes first." It seems Megure had actually wanted to support Yuusaku but pressure from his superiors must too large for him to ignore. The author somehow knew this wasn't the first time they've asked Megure to talk him into taking up detective work once more.

"Yes, and Midori-san would skin you alive if she heard you trying to coerce me to take back up my detective work. She and Yukiko had always been good friends and she would look out for Yukiko in her absence."

Megure cringed. "Anyways, I've said what I was told to say. Personally, I think they just wanted more people for the job and didn't care where they found the help."

Yuusaku thanked his friend, hands heavy with the several manila folders containing a copy of the reports (that should not leave the police HQ but it seems the higher-ups really wanted to be in his good graces). He needed to hide these away from the prying hands of his young son before picking him from the Professor's.

Closing the car doors, he found the dark shadow close by, standing just outside of the perimeter of the building. He was about to approach the shadow when an officer suddenly rushed out to call his name.

"Thank goodness we caught you on time." The young officer panted, hair and suit disheveled from the run to catch Yuusaku. "Someone just contacted the inspector at Division One, saying they needed to get in touch with you."

"Odd, did the inspector say who it was?" Instead of returning to his car, he walked back into the building.

The officer replied with a shake of his head, "he sounded very fatherly on the phone, probably a child…"

Yuusaku blanched, it was likely his son to have called. It must have been an emergency then. Taking the steps two at a time, he nearly crashed into Kogoro who rounded the bend to head back into the office.

"Weren't you leaving…?" The man's question was left unaswered as Yuusaku went up to Megure's desk. The inspector calmly handed the phone over.

"Shinichi? What's wrong?" Yuusaku kept his voice calm.

"' _Tou-san, we need to get to the hospital quickly! 'Kaa-san is gone!_ " Shinichi sounded frantic over the phone. He looked to Megure who shook his head, no doubt Shinichi had told the man the same thing.

"Shinichi, she's fine. She's still in the hospital."

" _That's why we need to go! She's not here, she's gone!_ "

To Yuusaku, it was not making much sense. If there were any changes to Yukiko, the police would know first because she was a key witness to the accident. And yet, his son was claiming his mother to be missing. Sighing, Yuusaku knew his son would not leave matters be. It would be a matter of time before he sneaked away from the school on his own to get to the hospital.

"Just stay in school, I'll come pick you up once school finishes." Yuusaku had an inkling of what his son was on about. If he took into account all the things his son said about Yukiko visiting him, then it would mean Shinichi was merely unable to _see_ her.

" _But 'tou-san…_ " Shinichi was whining, tone just pitched half an octave higher that usual, pleading for his father to come to him now.

"It takes me at least that long to drive back to your school." Yuusaku reasoned with Shinichi. "You stay in your lessons and I'll come pick you up. No arguments." Replacing the handset on the receiver, Yuusaku thanked the inspector.

"If you really need to get there quickly, I might be able to find someone to drive you in the patrol car. Shinichi-kun sounded distressed over the phone."

"He'll be fine." Yuusaku may be worried, but he knew at least his son wasn't in any kind of immediate danger. "It's nothing serious."

"But Shinichi-kun mentioned…"

"Can you keep me updated about the case?" Yuusaku cut the inspector off as wondered if he was too hasty to send Shinichi back to school this morning. He thought his son had put the incident behind him now that he rarely mentions about _seeing_ his mother at home.

Shinichi ran up towards the car even before it came to a stop by the curbside of the school. He quickly let himself in, strapping on the safety belt.

"Hurry!" Shinichi urged.

"Shinichi." Yuusaku made no move to the steering wheel, even as his son tugged on his shirt sleeves. "This is not...healthy...for you to become like this. Your mother is fine, I've called the doctors before leaving the station, they said she's showing signs of waking up."

"Yes, but for how long? _He_ said that because you seemed to be taking back up the…" Shinichi suddenly realised he was not supposed to say anything and covered his mouth with both hands.

"What are you saying Shinichi? Tell me the truth." As there were no cars on the road, Yuusaku can keep it parked just for a while long to interrogate his son.

"You won't believe me." Shinichi was not asking, rather the boy knew for certain his father would not trust his words. " _He_ said so." He added softly.

"Who?"

"That person with the cloak and funny hand." Shinichi whispered, head bowed down guiltily. " _He_ came with the small boy during break time, said because 'tou-san was going to do his work that _he_ decided to let 'kaa-san stay with us a while longer."

Yuusaku did not like to hear his son reasoning current events with imaginary situations about mysterious cloaked figures and little boys with blue eyes.

"Son, they aren't real." Deciding to cut to the chase and stop further nonsense. "They're all in your head."

"No they aren't!" Shinichi nearly screamed, hands clenched into little fists. "Kaito saw _him_ too! And the boy as well! I'm not lying…Kaito's not lying to me either..." Tears of frustration ran down the cheeks and Yuusaku couldn't help but feel constricted at his heart.

"You're not lying," he hugged Shinichi close, whispering shushing noises to calm him down. "But they are not really here. It's all in your head." Yuusaku decided to call up the Kurobas at a later time.

"Can we please just go see 'kaa-san…" Shinichi mumbled into his shirt. Giving a final pat on his son's head, Yuusaku turned his eyes back onto the road and drove away from the curbside. He could not help but somehow notice at the edges of his vision that a certain light pole seems to have a larger shadow than the rest. Glancing at the rear-view mirror to check, there was nothing of particular interest; no shady individuals or mysterious being, only a lonely rubbish bin filled to the brim.

Yukiko's room was strangely filled with activity when Yuusaku opened the sliding doors. Shinichi had immediately dashed towards the bed, weaving between the white coats and legs, to pounce onto the bed. He was chided by the nearby doctor who was just finishing up with his examination.

"Kudo-san." The doctor addressed with a smile. "You're surprisingly well-informed. We were just about to call you and the police."

"How is she?" Yuusaku spared a moment to look at his wife, who had Shinichi in her arms and was whispering into his ears.

"The external injuries she sustained during the incident is recovering well, scarring was minimal and there should be no lasting damages. Though she would need physiotherapy to ensure her muscles can support her. We will assess her internal injuries after we have scheduled for a scan. Her memory is intact and motor coordination is fine. I suggest she should stay for another week in hospital, so we can monitor her recovery and ensure there are no further complications." The doctor looked back at the nurses and Yukiko, looking confused. "Though it is strange how she would suddenly slip into a coma and suddenly wake up on her own."

"Thank you doctor." Yuusaku finally let out a breath of relief. His wife was awake and is doing well. He did not need to know the cause, only knowing his wife is healthy is more than enough.

"Yuu-chan." Yukiko was smiling tiredly, eyes creased but still as bright as ever. "You look really worn out." She reached up to brush her thumb across the cheeks and blemished skin underneath the eyes. "Did you not sleep?"

"I did." Yuusaku took the hand and placed a kiss on the back knuckles. "But I had been worried about you." He admitted.

"'Tou-san was always in the library…" Shinichi added as he broke away from Yukiko's hold. "He would walk up and down, along the bookshelves. Looking at the books, then the desk, then sit down and start broding..."

"That's quite enough." Yuusaku warned, he was not sure how Shinichi knew what he did inside the library especially since the boy had been confined to his room. Turning back to Yukiko with a gentle smile, he told her the doctors would be releasing her next week if everything goes well.

Yukiko, much like her son, really disliked the hospital and therefore nearly threw a tantrum (like the one Shinichi threw about a week ago) if not for Yuusaku retraining her. She finally agreed when Yuusaku went to see if he could negotiate with the doctors about an earlier release (there was an eerie glint in her eyes that promises mass mayhem if she was confined to the bed for any longer than 3 days). As Yuusaku walked out of the room, he saw the doting mother questioning her son, asking about how Yuusaku was acting at home during her sleep, whether they were both eating. Shinichi dutifully replied all her questions, telling her about the Kuroba's coming to visit them. But throughout their conversation, not once did Shinichi mention anything remotely hinting what his mind had conjured up. Yuusaku hoped this meant Shinichi had finally come to terms with what happened now that Yukiko was awake.

But apparently he was wrong. That night, after Yuusaku had tucked Shinichi into his bed, Yuusaku found Shinichi staring at the darkened corner of his room when he went to check up on his son. Through the slit in the doors, he saw his son's dulled eyes underneath the full moon's light, as though his mind just left for a stroll and left the body behind. There were murmurs coming out of Shinichi's mouth but it was too soft for Yuusaku to hear from his position. He was about to walk in when Shinichi jerked, like having been electroshocked, and glanced about his room. Tears began to stream down his son's cheeks and Yuusaku wondered what happened as Shinichi tries to bury himself into his pillow. Yuusaku's hands stilled by the doorknobs as he heard a slight hick of Shinichi's voice. His heart ached and wondered if he should walk into the room, but he knew Shinichi was a proud boy and hates for his father to see him suddenly break down. Especially since Yukiko is now awake, there should be no reason for him to act as such.

The next morning, Yuusaku monitored his son intensely. The way Shinichi hobbled down the stairs and sat at his designated place as he waited for his father to finish cooking whatever foodstuff they were having for breakfast.

"You're not going to school today." Yuusaku told Shinichi. "We're going to the doctors."

Early this morning, Yuusaku had called the hospital for that reference for a child psychologist. After seeing what happened last night, Yuusaku decided to find some help for his son, whether he needed it or not.

"Why?" The overly curious Shinichi wondered out loud. "I'm not scheduled for a check-up until later this week."

Yuusaku should not have been surprised for Shinichi to be so attentive during the check-up sessions.

"Shinichi, it's just that after the incident…" Yuusaku placed the plates of bacon and eggs in front of his son.

"No!" Shinichi pushed away from the table and stumbled to the ground. "I know what you want to say! I'm not going!"

Without Yuusaku needing to say the words, Shinichi had already figured out his father's intention.

" _He_ said you would do this, I didn't believe it last night. _He_ said you never believed me to begin with." Shinichi was shaking violently, arms encircled around his tiny body.

"Son." Yuusaku approached with soft steps, hugging his boy. "You don't need to feel scared or threatened. It's just a check-up with another doctor. Do this for me at least?"

"'Tou-san. There's nothing wrong with me. It's not in my head. _He_ 's real and…" Shinichi struggled against the hug, backing slowly away and towards the door. But his father had quickly caught on and moved towards him, standing behind Shinichi to block his path.

With a gentle push, Yuusaku led Shinichi back to his seat at the table. Handing over a cup of juice, he urged the boy to drink. He feels bad for having to drug Shinichi in order to bring him to the clinic but Yuusaku knew Shinichi was attempting to run away.

Silently, Yuusaku drove the the clinic with Shinichi buckled into the passenger seat. His son looked too frail and fragile unconscious. Although the physical marks from the incident were gone from his face, Yuusaku could not seem to erase the mental marks in his son's mind. Deciding a professional may have a better grasp in healing the mind, Yuusaku had made the difficult decision of sending Shinichi to the psychologist.

"Kudo-san." The doctor informed Yuusaku having been left in the reception area for the past 2 hours since he delivered his son to the doctor's room. He quickly stood up and strolled towards the doctor who was shutting the door, leaving Shinichi inside the room with the nurse. "If you wouldn't mind, I wish for Shinichi-kun to be admitted to a rehabilitation clinic."

Yuusaku was instantly alert, fearing the worst. He wasn't sure what to tell his wife if their son were diagnosed to be unstable.

"Your son keeps mentioning this cloaked figure and a small boy but are unwilling to say anything else about the accident he was involved in." The doctor looked resigned, slightly tired, but still seems determined to see Shinichi would recover. "He is a smart boy, cunning and intelligent. That may be why he is having difficulty coping with sudden changes."

At least the doctor sounds positive.

"Worry not." The doctor placated. "It's just that Shinichi-kun is hiding rather than telling the truth. It might be because of the setting, or it might be because of my presence. Either way, I have a colleague at the rehab clinic who may be less intimidating and hopefully he'll tell us what is wrong or what his worries are. He specialises in handling such cases with children so he should be able to find the crux of the problem."

Yuusaku wasn't sure to be worried that his son would rather hide the truth or amused that Shinichi has the skills to hide away his inner thoughts (Yuusaku figured he probably should blame Toichi and his son for teaching Shinichi about Poker Face). Not sure what else he could do, Yuusaku had signed for his son to be left in the care of the professionals before entering the doctor's office.

"Shinichi." Yuusaku went to hug his son, who sat stiff and still on the leather chair. "I'm not abandoning you, but please, let the doctors help you."

"'Tou-san…" Shinichi leaned slightly into Yuusaku's chest, voice soft and pained. "I'm telling the truth…"

Steeling himself he told his son that he'll be staying at the rehab clinic and that he'll come pick him up in a week. The doctor assured that if Shinichi was found to be healthy, he might be able to return earlier. Yuusaku assumed this was supposed to be motivation for Shinichi to tell the truth, which the boy keeps insisting he had been telling nothing but the truth. He watched as the van from the rehab clinic came to pick up Shinichi. A kind-looking male made conversation with his silent son. Shinichi looked back, eyes losing brightness for a brief moment, hoping for his father to stop this. Yuusaku knew this was for the best even if there seems to be a lingering shadow standing in furthest the corner, boring holes into Yuusaku's head saying to the author that he was doing something absurd and stupid.

"I'll see you in a week Shinichi." Yuusaku dismissed the feeling of wrongness, offering a slight smile and wave as the doors of the van shut to drive his son away. "It's for the best." He muttered to himself, turning away from the doctor's office. He needed to steel himself to telling Yukiko what was happening to their son.

A week sped by, a week where Yukiko had thrown anything she could get her hands on every time Yuusaku went to visit her in the hospital. Yuusaku remembered Yukiko was seething with anger as he broke the news to her.

" _What on Earth are you thinking! There's nothing wrong with our son!" Yukiko screamed as she whapped Yuusaku with the extra pillow. For someone who just woke up, she was sure energetic. "Why did you send him away! What do you think he's feeling!"_

" _But Yukiko." Yuusaku evaded the first hit but the second made its target on his head. "You haven't seen the way he had been acting."_

" _He's our child!" Three more hits and Yukiko slumped back towards her pillows. "We're supposed to be protecting him, not sending him away at the slightest strange occurrence. He had been in a accident with me, you of all people know how such events can be life changing for people, especially for a child."_

" _That's why I thought a professional's help would be best." Yuusaku tried to reason, which only incite Yukiko's wrath and renewed her vigor to whap Yuusaku with the pillow once more._

" _OUT!" Yukiko shouted, pointing at the door. Yuusaku knew it was time to retreat. He'll come by again tomorrow to reason with Yukiko._

Knocking on the door to the hospital room before pushing it open, Yuusaku was once again met by a flying object, which happened to be a small stuffed toy left behind by a certain magician ("It's unhygienic to keep throwing the pillows. Here, use this as an alternative." Toichi had offered during the Kuroba's most recent visit to the actress. Yukiko had accepted the stuffed fluffy rabbit, tested the weight, before hurling it in Yuusaku's direction. "Thank's Toichi-sensei." Yukiko had said with a grateful smile, sending an unnerving version of the smile towards Yuusaku. He would never be able to forget the glint in her eyes that spoke of future pain and torture). Catching the toy rabbit out of reflex by now, he replaced the toy on the bedside table. Yukiko was dressed in street clothing, with bags packed and signed forms sitting on the bed.

"Well?" Yukiko tapped her foot impatiently.

"We'll pick up Shinichi now." Yuusaku grabbed the bags dutifully as Yukiko took the rabbit in her hands, not willing to part with her only weapon against her husband's idiocy.

Yukiko had made great progress over the last week, probably incited by Shinichi's admission, and recovered well enough for the doctors to allow her to continue her recovery away from the hospital. She was still required to return for periodic checkups, and was still physically weak, but the look on Yukiko's face had the doctors immediately signing her out.

They drove in silence, with Yukiko fuming in the passenger seat.

"Yukiko…" Yuusaku tried to start a conversation.

"Not a single word out of you Yuu-chan." Yukiko at least was still using the pet name, meaning she wasn't too angry. Yuusaku had no other options but to keep his eyes on the road.

The nurses at the rehab clinic guided the two parents towards a brightly decorated room, designated for children's use. They made small conversation, telling the two how nice and kind Shinichi had been, obedient and rule-abiding. The doctor met with them partway with Division One's Megure standing close by. Yuusaku quirked an eyebrow at the strange combination, wondering what had caused the investigator to leave the office.

"Yuusaku-kun? Why are you here?" Megure broke of whatever conversation he was having and focused his attention on the older Kudos. "Yukiko-chan, nice to see you fully up and running. Yuusaku-kun had be worried to a point of exhaustion ever since the incident."

"Yukiko, why don't you go with the nurses and I'll talk with Megure for a minute." Yuusaku was sure his wife was impatient, as evident by the frown on her face. Only when he was sure Yukiko was out of earshot did Yuusaku continue his conversation. "Keibu-dono, did something happen around here?"

"Five days ago, one of the children in this facility found a dead nurse. We've been trying to get the doctor's cooperation to talk with the child, whom the doctor would not even divulge their name." Megure motioned towards the doctor beside him. "And three days later, a man showed up confessing to the crime. Even though we have a motive and confession, we still lack certain pieces of evidence and there was a time gap in between when the man confessed to the killing and the actual time of death. We were hoping for the child to have seen something."

"As I've told you time and again, any talking done with the child would be by us and not the police. You people would inadvertently hurt them and traumatize them with your inconsiderate words."

"We've been trained into how to handle delicate situations doctor." Megure tries to placate. "We know how to speak with younger witnesses."

"Not to these children you don't." The good doctor proceeded to list out what could (would) go wrong if the children were triggered by the wrong words. Megure sighed, relented to the doctor's request and began to draft out a list of question for the doctor to ask the child in question. Yuusaku watched from the sidelines, something niggling at his mind telling him that he could easily resolve this situation but he dutifully ignored the sensation. The doctor finally turned his attention to Yuusaku. "Kudo-san, you're here to pick him up?"

Yuusaku nodded, following the doctor through colourful corridors.

"Your son, Shinichi-kun, had not been forthcoming at first. The things he talked about, strange cloaked figures and little boys with blue eyes, I have a suspicion at the beginning they were a result from guilt of being the cause of his mother's injuries. The two figures are manifestations of the mind, a physical representation of the wrongdoings involved in the incident." The doctor waved at several little girls sitting by the window with picture books and the nurse attending to them. "However, we did make good progress. Having him admit to those feelings is still difficult, he has a tendency to hide everything he feels even when he was telling the truth. We have managed to encourage Shinichi-kun to see that the injuries sustained were not caused by his inaction, rather they were a series of unfortunate events that he should try and understand. I, however, believe he is trying to make it his mission to find the culprit behind the accident."

"Then he should be able to put all this behind if the culprit was found correct?" Yuusaku had hope in his voice. The matters of the mind were difficult to comprehend, but it was good to know there was a solution to Shinichi's anxieties.

"I believe so. Shinichi-kun has a strong moral compass and has spoken quite loudly at what he knows, and feels,to be correct. He also believed that no one should be hurt and that all those who caused harm should redeem themselves." The doctor shook his head to clear out his thoughts. "You and your wife has raised Shinichi-kun to be a kindhearted child, not many could do a good a job as you two. Which may be the reason why he was so badly affected by his mother's injuries. In any case, there's nothing really wrong with him. He does have a tendency to go into deep thought and is slightly shy towards strangers." The doctor stopped in front of a blue door, sliding it open to gesture Yuusaku to enter.

"'Tou-san." Shinichi looked up from his mother's tight hold. "You really did come."

"Shinichi, I don't go breaking my promises to you." He ruffled Shinichi's hair. Yukiko finally smiled at him, though he was sure she was still quite mad at him.

"Come on Shin-chan, let's go. Your father promised us ice-cream as well." Yukiko decided to make Yuusaku pay for doing this to their child. "And he said he'll buy us presents."

Shinichi looked between his parents, both beaming at him, before deciding to tug at his mother. Yuusaku winced at the impending shopping trip, hoping to the heavens that his beloved wife would not go overboard.

"Please don't stay mad at 'tou-san. He's just…" Shinichi seems to be searching for words but was lacking the vocabulary. "It's just 'tou-san was worried. He's not to be blamed…"

"And neither should you blame yourself Shinichi-kun. We've been over this." The doctor gently reminded. "Now you need to let go of that part."

Shinichi nodded hesitantly before turning to thank the doctor. All the while, he was paying more attention to the surroundings than his parents on either side.

"Doctor." Shinichi called out at the last minute before he stepped into the car. He ran back towards the doctor, whispered in his ears that made the doctor's eyes widened a fraction. The doctor affectionately ruffled his hair before telling Shinichi to run back towards his parents.

"What did you tell the doctor?" Yukiko sat with Shinichi at the backseats, holding their son tight in her arms.

"I wanted to make sure he keeps everyone safe." Shinichi said cryptically. "And I had to tell him a message from someone."

"Oh?" Yukiko's voice was one of curiousity.

"Yes, to tell him that…" Shinichi looked up at the mirror to see Yuusaku was also as intrigued as his mother. "You know what, never mind. I forgot already now that I told the doctor." Shinichi beamed at them before diverting the conversation to upcoming ice-cream purchase. Yuusaku could not help be let out a fond smile show on his face. He was happy his son was no longer brooding and staring into shadows, though if only Yukiko would stop giving him the icy look, he would be much happier.

They stopped off at an outdoor ice-cream parlour, and like any child, Shinichi immediately rushed towards the counter where they held the multicolour icy treats. He pointed at a lemon flavoured one and the sales was gracious enough to give him a sample. They settled at the outdoor sitting area where a white dove immediately landed on their table. Yuusaku had no doubts that it was sent by a certain magician-in-training for it sought out Shinichi and proceeded to land on his shoulders.

"It seems Kaito-kun has become quite adept in training his flock." Yuusaku commented over his cup of coffee. Not really expecting a reply from his son, who was trying to feed bits of biscuit to the bird.

"It's only expected. Toichi-sensei trained him well."

At least Yukiko was speaking to him again.

"Shinichi," capturing his son's attention once more. Shinichi looked up from his scoop of treat, mindful to give said treat a lick every now and then so it would not be wasted as it melts. "Will you forgive your father?"

"'Tou-san? You did nothing wrong, why do I need to forgive you?" His eyes were of genuine confusion. "Besides, I know why you did that…"

"Thanks son." Yuusaku attempted to hug Shinichi even as Yukiko glared "Let's head back when you finished the ice-cream. I have a feeling Kaito-kun and his family are waiting for us at the mansion to celebrate."

And Yuusaku had been right in his deduction. The magician son and father pair met them at the foyer (Yuusaku decided to ignore the fact they had broken into their house but it was expected of the world famous magician). The family were showered with confetti before the front doors closed. A flock of dove flapped around, each carrying colourful streamers and flowers.

"Welcome home, Yukiko-chan, Shinichi-kun." Toichi presented a bouquet of flower to Yukiko as Kaito began to tug at Shinichi to head up the stairs. It seems the boys missed each other greatly as they ignored the shouts of their respective parents about proper greetings. "Boys…"

"Let them have their fun." Yukiko ambled at a slower pace towards the kitchens, leaving the bags to be picked up by Yuusaku.

"I take it she's still angry at you?" Toichi had a wry smile on his face.

"Why wouldn't she." Shaking his head, he heaved the heavy bags on his shoulders to make his way towards the laundry. "What I probably did was unforgivable in her eyes, treating Shinichi as though he was…"

"You did the right thing though. It wasn't something you could handle on your own." Toichi patted encouragingly before he joined their ladies in the kitchen. He knew his own wife had whipped up a banquet fit for a king, with many of the children's favourite dishes.

Passing the children on the way as he dropped of the bags, Yuusaku couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"So?" Kaito asked as he juggled the tri-colour balls into the air.

"What? There was nothing wrong to begin with." Shinichi's eyes followed the balls, possibly aiming to disrupt the juggling at a given chance. "I had been sloppy, that's all."

"Well, I couldn't blame you. No one would believe and my 'tou-chan asked me the same thing since I was always with you."

"Did he call you a liar?"

"Nah, I didn't say anything. You were right, we should keep our mouths shut. Look where it got you." Kaito was light-hearted in his reply. There were several soft thuds of juggling balls hitting a surface before many more thuds and a yelp.

"Nice to know my time away served some purpose other than being bored to bits in that place. Seriously, they didn't have much in terms of books, the nurses were always following me and the doctor kept asking bothersome questions." Shinichi sighed dramatically before flopping onto the bed. "I think I'll just keep it to myself this time. I don't want to worry 'tou-san anymore and 'kaa-san was only just released from the hospital."

"You think I can come stay more often? I can keep you company. You and that boy both."

Yuusaku decided to interrupt the conversation to drop off the empty bag by knocking on the door.

"Shinichi, you better wash up before your mother yells at you. I think we're about to start dinner soon." The young author watched as his son scrambled for the bathroom, not wanting to anger his mother by being tardy. "And Kaito-kun, you shouldn't lie to your father like that."

"What do you mean?" Kaito acted innocently, looking up with his violet eyes.

"Your father is just concerned, especially after I talked with him. If you had noticed anything, you should have told someone. It would be best for Shinichi if you had said something earlier."

"But Yuusaku-ojisan, no one believes in what we say. Even if I did say something, you'll not do anything. No one would. So why bother?" Kaito picked up the balls strewn about the bed. "However, we'll tell you, and only you, if you promise to listen and not think we're lying."

Yuusaku was about to reply when they heard Chikage shouting from downstairs. Kaito yelled out a reply and ran out the door before Yuusaku could react. The things that the boys are talking about keeps getting more confusing and making a lot less sense.

Life returned to the norm, with Shinichi going to school, his editors hounding at him for manuscript, and Yukiko being her overly bubbly self. But that was as far as normalcy went, for every time they decided on a family outing, they would inevitably stumble across things outside of the _norm_. Just three days ago, on Shinichi's birthday, they decided to drive out into the countryside for a picnic. The Kurobas had joined them for this trip, it was a given with how close the boys were. It was supposed to be relaxing, though the drive consisted of Shinichi and Kaito messing around at the backseat of the rented van. They trip towards the location was filled with flying feathers, courtesy of the three doves Kaito brought along for the trip, a myriad of confetti and silly string, and the occasional pop and squeak from whatever tricks Kaito decided to test out on Shinichi. Shinichi had a fun time deciphering the method behind the trick and Yuusaku could see the makings of a great detective underneath the childish looks. Strangely enough, Yukiko and Chikage decided to leave the boys be, though it was probably because a distracted Kaito is a calm Kaito, regardless of how weird it sounds. Yuusaku and Toichi took turns to drive, they switched halfway at the highway stop as they stretched their legs. It was there when they first stumbled across the beginnings of something outside of the norm. Shinichi had ran off, with Kaito closely following, the moment the van stopped. They assumed it was because they needed the bathroom so the parents took their time to stretch. They hadn't expected for Kaito to come back moments later to tug at Yuusaku to follow him. Fearing the worst that something had happened to Shinichi, Yuusaku ran towards the direction Kaito was pointing at, only to find Shinichi standing over a bloody corpse behind the building to the male bathroom. His son stood just beyond the pool of cooling blood, still, and staring at the body. Yuusaku moved swiftly to try cover his eyes as he pulled Shinichi away.

"'Tou-san." Shinichi struggled out of Yuusaku's hold. "Over there." He pointed to the line of trees and shrubs to the side of the road. Yuusaku moved over to peer into the foliage. There was a small glint in the distance, Yuusaku squinted his eyes but could barely make out the shape, only that he knew it was small. On the ground, he noticed faint droplets of blood leading from the body in the direction of the glint. He would have missed the stains all together if Shinichi had not pointed it out. The asphalt did a decent job of camouflaging the blood under the morning sun.

"Did you see anything?" Yuusaku turned to his son in his arms. Shinichi shook his head.

"I…" Yuusaku noticed Shinichi was biting on his bottom lips again. He must be hesitating. "I thought I did…" He whispered softly. Yuusaku knew this was as close to the supposed _truth_ he would be receiving, especially after overhearing the boys' talk of him not every believing their words.

"Never mind son. Let me call the police then we'll leave." Not wanting his son to be exposed to further dangers, Yuusaku decided it would be best to be on their way instead of waiting for police to arrive. He had a few police contacts in this area and could probably put off giving their statements until later on.

Such occurrences continued to pop up with higher frequency. It used to be whenever the boys met up for their playdates, but it soon became a regular scene where Shinichi would _seemingly_ stumble across something. When Shinichi walked home from school, he would inevitably trip over a knife or an abandoned bag that he would bring to the nearest police box, then to have it confirmed it was evidence to an ongoing case. After his soccer matches, or during half-time, he would be unknowingly caught at one incident or another, many of which Yuusaku was on-site to sort out the problem and contact the police. However, he rarely stayed to look into the cases, preferring to cart Shinichi away as quickly as he could. Then there were the multiple numbers of kidnapping Shinichi managed to have himself caught in, most involving in him being at the wrong place at the wrong time, though there were a few deliberate attempts solely because of who his parents were. It went to a point where Yukiko suggested they went to see a priest or go to the temples, which they did the moment Shinichi turned 9.

"I'm scared for him Yuu-chan." Yukiko said one evening after Shinichi went for bed. "What is happening is not normal."

"We did all we can for him." Yuusaku remembered their last visit to the local shrine, the priest had said it was a _gift_ not to be ignored but Yukiko had said it was more of a _curse_.

(" _Gift or Curse, it depends on the point of view." The priest had said with a grim face looking down towards Shinichi. "Shinichi-kun here was gifted with these incidences. You should nurture instead of shun them."_ )

Yuusaku tried to offer the best comfort he could, holding tight onto his wife as they tucked themselves into the large canopy bed. His thoughts drifted back to the dream, the one of the cloaked figure and disembodied voice that echoed in the night. The figure had said the original recipient of the gift was supposed to be Yuusaku but his life choices had meant a shift. Internally, he cursed at the being that allowed for this to happen to a young child. Briefly, he wondered what he could barter for the figure to rescind such _gifts_ , but he knew there was nothing he could give in return if he wanted to keep their current lifestyle.

He had a fitful sleep that night, expecting to wake up to find Shinichi huddled in the corner of their bedroom. At one point, when he opened his eyes to peer into the dark room, he thought he saw a pair of bright blue eyes gleaming in the corner. But as he blinked, the blue eyes was gone. Another instant, just before dawn, he thought he heard the bedroom doors open. Yuusaku had expected his son to somehow jump up onto their bed or wake them up, but instead, he found himself looking blearily at a smudge of shadows standing just to the side of the door. Closing his eyes and reopening them had made the shadow disappear. He concluded his mind must be playing tricks on him as he fell back asleep.

The next morning, when Yukiko was still tucked up in bed, and as Yuusaku ambled down the stairs, he found Shinichi to be huddled up next to the phone in the foyer with a large blanket wrapped around him.

"Shinichi, what are you doing?" Gently, he bundled up his son to take him away, at least into the living room where it would be warmer.

"Wait, 'tou-san." Shinichi struggled from the hold to hop down on his feet, blanket still wrapped around his tiny shoulders like a long dark cape. "Wait." He looked intently at the phone.

Just as Yuusaku was about to insist his son to come with him, the phone rang, startling the author to a jump. He looked between the inanimate device and his son, trying to not give too much thought into how his son could have predicted the event, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Kudo residence." He answered somewhat harshly. It was early in the morning and his own voice had barely stopped sounding scratchy.

" _Yuusaku-kun, sorry to bother you so early in the morning._ " The voice of the seasoned inspector sounded much to energetic for so early. " _We have received something...interesting and thought it might be best to bring you in for this...case._ "

Yuusaku took it to mean the heads of police wanted Yuusaku's input on whatever strange evidence that was posted to the police. Yuusaku sighed as he questioned the intelligence of its officers. He knew Division One quite well and the detectives there are quite good at what they are doing. They might not be as fast in solving crime but they do get the job done. Yuusaku had always believed his presence there somehow demoralizes the rest of the inspectors, like upstaging them, but they were still an amiable bunch of people that he like to associate with.

"What seems to be of interest?" Yuusaku held onto his son, who felt extremely cold to the touch. He wondered how long Shinichi had been out in the foyer.

" _We've received a notice, possibly an intention for crime. We have Division Two working on it but they had approached Division One as well seeing as the wording can be interpreted as a kidnapping case_." Megure did not sound confident, meaning he believed it was something outside of his jurisdiction and was only contacting Yuusaku under the insistence of his superiors.

"I'll drop by around mid-morning if that's ok with you." Yuusaku peered down at his son, who had an intriguing look on his face.

" _We believe the notice is for this afternoon, possibly early evening. If you can come by earlier…?_ "

"I'll see what I can do." Yuusaku remembered they were supposed to be attending a magic show later on in the evening, one that Yukiko was roped into being the assistant. She had be ecstatic to be able to perform with her teacher and had to nearly threaten Yuusaku to attend. Both Shinichi and Kaito were going with Chikage but Yuusaku had mentioned, just once, he might not be able to make it on the day (and how right he was now). Yukiko had then threatened the couch, which was not too effective seeing as Yuusaku periodically spends time on that particular piece of furniture when he had a deadline coming up. She then threatened bodily harm onto Yuusaku, which was marginally more effective until the point she threw a throw pillow at him with force enough to knock him back. That was when he realised that underneath all the beauty lies a fierce lioness ready to spring into action. It was a trait that made him fall in love all over again.

Shaking his head to dislodge the random thoughts, he turned back to Shinichi's inquisitive eyes.

"Will you be going?" Shinichi had an expectant look on his face.

"Maybe later son." Yuusaku crouched down to Shinichi's level. "Now tell me, why were you sleeping here instead of up in your bed."

"..." Shinichi took a step back, but Yuusaku was quick to halt his movement as held Shinichi back on his shoulder.

"If you had a nightmare, you could have come into our bed." He suggested.

"It's not that…" Shinichi evaded, looking away. "I just...it's just…"

It was rare for his son to stutter over words, seeing now he had a wider range of vocabulary (Shinichi spends too much free time reading. Although he still devoted as much effort to his soccer practice as before). It raised alarms in Yuusaku immediately.

"What is worrying you Shinichi?" Carefully, he guided his son towards the dining room, setting up the coffee machine for himself and began preparing hot chocolate for Shinichi. It was the weekend, where the three of them would lazily spend inside the house doing nothing but keeping each other company. Often, it would meant time spent inside the living room with Yukiko flipping through her fashion magazine, Shinichi reading his stories, and Yuusaku working on his manuscripts with the TV switched on as background noise. This morning, however, seems to deviate from their regular activities.

"You should go 'tou-san. Go to the station. They need you there." Shinichi whispered with his head hung low. "You _need_ to get there. Tell them what they need to know. Else…"

"Else what Shinichi? What do you think will happen?" Yuusaku had learnt that refusing Shinichi outright was not wise. He might not believe what the boy is thinking, nor can he deduce what is inside his boy's head, but instinctively, he knew he should at least listen.

"If you didn't, things will be worst. At least now, if you went, everything would be...not better but not worst." Tears were beginning to form around Shinichi's eyes and Yuusaku at lost.

"Alright son. I'll head off to the police headquarters. Would you be alright staying with your mother today? I'll most likely meet you two at the theater tonight rather than coming back."

Shinichi nodded reluctantly. It was as though he struggled whether to let his father go, as though he was terrified of something.

"You'll tell me if it's something serious right?" Yuusaku asked, placing the cup of chocolate in front of Shinichi. He'll get ready once he was sure Shinichi had something to warm up. Feeling the top of his son's head, he did not detect a fever which was a relief. Although his skin was still on the cold side, he knew the drink would warm him up.

Shinichi nodded, slowly sipping the hot chocolate, eyes never leaving his father's.

"Um…" Shinichi hesitated, gulping and glancing around the room before laying his eyes on his father's still figure. "Do you think...you know if you could...would you rather spend the time with 'kaa-san than...you know…"

Yuusaku wasn't sure if it was Shinichi feeling insecure or just plain paranoia, he knew he had been spending slightly less time with Shinichi lately, what with the numerous deadlines looming above his head. But by no means he was neglecting his boy.

"Shinichi, we'll spend time together soon, all three of us." Yuusaku paused mid-step. "Maybe it would be better if I ignored the inspector's request. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"NO!" Shinichi jumped from his seat and nearly tackled Yuusaku onto the ground. "No, you can't. I mean you shouldn't!"

"Son, is this about that... _thing_...about you telling the truth but it's also something that's in your mind?"

"I knew it." Shinichi muttered to the ground, sighing, with face scrunched up as though in pain. "You don't believe me."

"Shinichi. I do." Yuusaku tried to comfort. "I do believe you as long as you tell me what made you believe in the things you said."

"...I can't say…" Shinichi then shook his head. "No, it's like I don't know how to describe it. Just that if _He_ 's here, then it's likely whatever you've been called to is important and dangerous. But the _boy_ said if you didn't respond, it'll be even worst."

Yuusaku was about to ask further when the phone rang again. Without thinking he answered "Keibu-dono, I said I'll come by a little bit later."

" _Um...Yuusaku-ojisan?_ " Kaito's young voice rang softly. " _Can I speak to Shinichi?_ "

Taken aback, Yuusaku apologised and asked Shinichi to come to the phone. He took this time to go back to the bedroom to dress, finding Yukiko was just stirring in bed. Giving his wife a loving kiss, he was soon wrapped up in Yukiko's arms.

"What are you doing up so early?" Yukiko cheerfully asked, pulling Yuusaku closer into her chest as she tries to wrap them both back in the blanket. "You're cold."

"I need to be heading out soon." Yuusaku made no movement to struggle out of the cocoon they were forming. Though neither was he actively participating in the act.

"It's the weekend. You don't normally meet with your editors." Yukiko was more awake and less playful. "Unless it's the police…?"

"They have something they wanted me to look at." Slowly, he was being let out of the blanket. He stretched his arms before rummaging for something casual to wear. "I might not be back in the afternoon but I'll try to make it for the show."

"Humph, you better if you know what's good for you." Yukiko crossed her arms to look angered by soon degenerated into a fit of giggles. "Well, at least I'll see you in the evening. The performance isn't until 8, it should give you enough time."

"Quite unlike Toichi to schedule his shows so late in the night."

"Yes, well, according to Chika-chan, Kaito had been complaining that they never spend much time together recently so they decided to at least be able to have dinner as a family before the show."

"A busy magician. I guess his son is just feeling a bit neglected…" Yuusaku looked back towards the door, thinking about the similarities between himself and the magician. Faintly, he could hear the conversation though not enough to make out specific words. "I guess I should spend more time with Shinichi as well shouldn't I?"

"Now you say." Yukiko sat up with a brush in her hand, combing through her blond locks. "You've been so busy with your writing recently that both Shinichi and I barely see you. And here I thought you becoming a full-time author would make more time for family things."

"If only you'll let me escape my editors, we can have more time together." Planting another kiss onto Yukiko, he took his wallet from the bedside table.

"We did escape them, when we lived in America." They moved to the States to hopefully escape some of their fans, especially since the gossip magazine reporters start hounding them for interviews and photoshoots after Shinichi was born.

"That was only for two years. You then insisted we came back to Japan so Shinichi could start school here."

"You can hardly blame a mother for trying to find the best school for her child. Beside, Shin-chan's more suited to the Japanese education system than the Western style."

Shaking his head, he said his goodbye, leaving Yukiko to her morning ritual. She'll probably head downstairs and start fixing their breakfast before dropping Shinichi off with the Kurobas, where she'll be meeting with the magician and leave for the theater together for a final rehearsal.

Shinichi just placed the receiver back onto the phone when Yuusaku came down. He immediately came to hug his father, gripping at the pant legs.

"Hey," Yuusaku ruffled the hair, causing the already messy hair to further degenerate into a bird's nest, much like a certain counterpart.

"'Tou-san. You'll try and save them won't you?" Shinichi pleaded. Yuusaku furrowed his brows. "You'll be able to get everyone out right?"

"It's only a consultation Shinichi." Yuusaku tries to emphasize to his boy this was not a case involving death.

"...'Tou-san, it's just that...maybe...perhaps I just don't have a good feeling about this…" His hesitance and reluctance was showing clearly in his words. Though Yuusaku could not be certain if it was due to his inability to vocalize his thoughts or if it was truly a matter that he could not talk about.

"I'll be careful son. You take care of your mother and yourself while I'm gone. I'll meet you two at the theater."

When Yuusaku arrived at the office of Division One, he found the place to be in a hive of activity, something quite out of the ordinary for this particular office. The inspectors and officers under Division One were often out in the field yet here they were, all seated at their designated desks, frantically calling up...random families?

"Megure-keibu," Yuusaku walked determinedly towards the desk near the window. "You have a full team on hand today."

"Yes, well, one of the officers in Division Two suggested the note to be referring to a possible kidnapping so we've recalled all officers off duty to start calling up people with the name _Ishi_ as prononciation or as part of the name." Megure handed the note over. "Seeing as someone is intending to steal this particular _rock_ , we can never be too safe."

It was apparent from the tired expression that Megure did not believe this one bit. Reading through the note, Yuusaku can see why. It was not a notice for an intention to steal, rather it was a note saying someone was planning to steal. Though why would someone be willing to divulge in such information.

"I would suggest you to maybe pull out a few officers and have to take the break they deserved." Yuusaku voiced out instead of the questions about who and how this note came into the hands of the police. "This is a wild goose chase and we both know it."

"Yes, but my superiors did not want to take the chance." Megure called out a few orders, telling his officers to take breaks or work in shifts. That was the best he could do under current restrictions. "So?"

"This note, it's telling us someone wanted to steal this mystic gem. It's more of a warning to have the police up the security around recent exhibitions. However, the sender also doesn't know the what, when, and how, only the who. Stating them to be _Shadowed Operatives_ with _Skills of Animals_."

Megure rubbed his chin, the wording did not sound positive.

"Though you were right that the notice is for today, more specifically as the sun sets. I recommend to look into local exhibitions rather than specific individuals. The wording suggests a recent showcase of some sort." Yuusaku turned the evidence bag to reveal the back of the paper. There were a few fold marks and he could see the coarse nature of the paper. Nothing too defining, but there is a smudge on one of the corners. "Did you have this examined?" He directed the inspector's gaze towards the light stain.

"Not yet." Taking the bag before motioning for an officer to take the evidence to forensics. "It seems we've missed something in our observations then."

"Everyone is bound to make mistakes, especially if they're only running on caffeine and low sleep. I'm assuming most, if not all these officers were from last night's shift…" Yuusaku surveyed the office once more, some were blinking their eyes one too many times while others try to down another mug full of the watery liquid they termed as 'coffee' around the headquarters. "Why are the police making such a fuss over this?"

Megure shrugged. "The higher ups are really concerned apparently. They don't normally take this much attention to such _trivial_ matters. It's not a high-profile case, nor has the note been released to public. They might have some inside information that they're unwilling to divulge but for the time, we're left to do this work the old-fashioned way."

"By cold-calling." Yuusaku shook his head, not feeling all that comfortable with the way things are being runned inside the station. Perhaps it was a good idea to leave the crime-solving field. With the recent developments in the police department, it was _safer_ to become a some-time-consultant rather than an outright private-eye.

"It'd be helpful if you stayed." Megure admitted. "It might stop the higher ups from breathing down our necks."

Yuusaku tried to consider the reasons why those people with power would want to take an interest. "Is it everyone or just selective?"

"Selective, none of which are my actual direct superiors."

It was both interesting and strange. At any other time, Yuusaku would have looked into this but for now, he decided to let it sit for a while and focus on deciphering the note. The faster they come to a conclusion of the target, the earlier he could leave to see his family. His son's actions this morning had unnerved him slightly and it made him wonder whether something was afoot.

In the end, Yuusaku was forced to stay until 6, where he insisted on leaving so he could at least have some time with his family. He met them, along with the Kurobas, at a restaurant closest to the theater. Shinichi had managed to attach himself to his mother's arms, not letting go even as they sat down. Same could be said for Kaito as he clung onto his father.

"Did something happen?" Yuusaku asked, giving his son a pat on the head.

Yukiko held Shinichi on her laps after trying to dislodge him for the past 20 minutes and coax him into the seat with no avail.

"He's been like this since after lunch. He wouldn't even leave the theater as we rehearsed."

Worry did not begin to describe the feeling Yuusaku was feeling. Inconspicuously, he surveyed the restaurant, trying to take note of any signs of danger. The place seemed normal enough for a family restaurant, not particularly full given today is a weekend though it could not be considered as a busy time as well. He let his eyes linger on the nooks and crannies, the shadowed corners and tried to take them apart, seeing if it would reveal anything. But the walls remained the same, the shadows stayed silent, and all was normal from his point of view. Glancing at his son, he noticed Shinichi to have clutched tighter onto Yukiko's blouse, knuckles nearly white from the tension. Gently, he placed his own hands on top of Shinichi's hoping to dislodge the tense fingers. Shinichi looked up with painful eyes and Yuusaku was taken aback.

"Shinichi, did you see something?" Yuusaku decided it was worth a try but Shinichi decided to remain silent and did not budge. He became extremely concerned when he noticed the young Kuroba also did not remove himself from his father's side. Although he knew the young magician loved his father greatly, it was rare to see the boy so unwilling to part with his father.

Their dinner passed with the two children clinging onto their respective parent, never letting go even as they ate their share of food. The look of concern was shared between the parents.

"Yuu-chan, you haven't seen the setup yet have you?" Yukiko asked with hopeful eyes as she led her husband towards the theatre's entrance.

When they entered the theatre proper, the boys finally released their death grip on their parent and conversed in hushed tones in the corner before running off to a seemingly random direction. Yuusaku was about to chase after them when Toichi placed a hand on his shoulders.

"The place is safe, I've made certain of that before we left for dinner. There's very little that can hurt the boys." Toichi led the group towards the back, where the females quickly diverged off to the backstage rooms with Yukiko wanting to show Chikage her costume. There was a time when Chikage would take to the stage with Toichi but that time had long passed when their son was born. Now, she was more of a stay-at-home mom taking care of an overly energetic boy who would one day become as great of a performer as his father.

"Come, let me show you some of my props. Though try not to figure out the trick yet, it detracts from the entertainment value." Toichi teased as he pointed out some of the new additions to the stage. At one time, Yuusaku was trying to figure out some of the mechanics of how the props would work but decided that for the benefit of his friend, he'll not put too much effort into it and instead enjoy the show.

"Shinichi? Kaito-kun, what are you doing up there?" Yuusaku's eyes managed to catch a glimpse of the disappearing end of a coat tail up on the rungs of the ladder. Both boys ducked onto the upper walkway, scrambling across the metallic path.

"Kaito, you know better than to go up." Toichi climbed up after the boys to bring them down. He had several tricks stored up there and it would be dangerous for the boys to be caught up in them.

The boys stopped in front of a set of riggings, used to haul up the spotlights.

"Kaito, Shinichi-kun, now come over here." Toichi sounded stern as he firmly walked over to where the boys stood, unnaturally still. He glanced up towards the metallic beams, not noticing anything at first. But he then saw a small red blink, which was not there before. Squinting, he tries to make sense of what he was seeing, barely registering the clicking of heels against metal.

"Is something wrong?" Yuusaku had followed the magician up after not hearing anything for a while. He also directed his gaze at the same direction.

"Shit!" Toichi swore uncharacteristically before grabbing both boys and throwing them in Yuusaku's direction. "Get Out!" The magician yelled as he finally recognised the object that the light had been attached to.

Without questioning, Yuusaku followed the magician's instruction, tugging onto both boys' hands and urging them to hurry down the ladders. He turned back to yell at Toichi when he saw the man tying the rope to an anchor, no doubt thinking of abseiling down instead of taking the ladder. Towards the side of the stage, Yuusaku saw their wives walking out and both himself and Toichi was yelling for their wives to leave. Confused, both women stood their ground and was startled when a loud boom rang overhead. The metal grunted and bolts were loosened from its hold. Yuusaku urged the boys to move faster, and on the last few rungs he jumped off before grabbing both boys by the hand and ran away from the stage. Yukiko and Chikage immediately reacted to the first sound of explosion and dived off the stage as spotlights fell.

When Yuusaku had thought they were safe and turned to look back onto the stage, a second set of explosion rang, this time it was from the stage platform. Smoke and fire rose from the ground and quickly engulfed the curtain fabrics. Overhead, the metal structures rattle once more as spotlights and speakers swayed precariously. Yuusaku tried to peer through the wall of flames, only to see Toichi somehow engaged with a black shadow as though fighting off someone. Across to the side of the stage, he saw Chikage struggling to lift a large metal piece of a spotlight.

"Yuusaku-kun, Yuki-chan's trapped!" She called out in desperation.

"Go Chika-chan! I'll be fine!" Yukiko's weak voice was heard even as the stage grumbled under the intense heat and weight.

"Yukiko!" Yuusaku pushed the boys further away from the flames, towards the entrance. "Shinichi, Kaito-kun, get out of here and stay outside of the building. Call the emergency number and tell them what happened." Yuusaku all but forced the near-catatonic boys to leave the area before dashing towards the stage once more.

He braved the fire, shielding his face and hair with his overcoat before discarding it to be burned. Rushing over to where Chikage was, he helped lift the metal sheet away from Yukiko's legs. He tried not to focus on the amount of damage caused and the blood that was gushing out from another wound by her side. One of the pieces have stabbed her, possibly caused by the second explosion, and had grievously wounded her.

"Yukiko." Yuusaku tries to stem the flow, but he knew it was difficult for his wife to survive this. "Stay with me."

"Yuu-can. Take care of yourself and Shin-chan?" Blue eyes began to droop as her breath became laboured. "Make sure Shin-chan knows it's not his fault and don't you dare send him to _those_ people again or I will make sure to haunt you."

Even in pain, Yukiko could joke and threaten at the same time. Yuusaku held back the tears threatening to fall, knowing his wife did not wish to see him in such a state.

"You're going to be fine." Yuusaku comforted, trying to move Yukiko further away from the flames and into a relatively safer area. He picked her up bridal style, fully aware of how the blood was seeping through his own shirt, and carried her off to the side of the theatre with Chikage following solemnly behind. He could faintly hear Toichi's voice shouting at something and another gruff voice before a crash. Chikage tensed and quickly turned around in the direction of the sound. It was as though she wanted to run into the destroyed stage. "Chikage-san, can you take care of Yukiko for me?" He needed to keep the woman safe, knowing Toichi would wanted him to do so.

Without waiting for the woman's reply, he left Yukiko's side and walked cautiously around the crumbling stage. He was about to venture further into the much destroyed backstage when the upper walkway collapsed in front of him, forcing him to jump back. The structure crashed through the wooden stage, creating a large crater that let the flames from below burst through. He had no choice but to circle back to where he left Yukiko and Chikage.

The flames had all but engulfed the stage, making its way up the aisle and burning across the seats. It closed off any possible exits from their vantage point and they had no choice but keep themselves safe. They were only left with the option of moving further away from all possible exits and into one of the dressing rooms, that came equipped with a small bathroom. Yuusaku had not paid much attention but from Chikage's reaction, this must have been Toichi's dressing room. Yuusaku had placed Yukiko near the back, furthest from the doorway, as he tries to stop the smoke from seeping through the cracks in the door. Even then, small trails of black and grey trickled through the gaps and was beginning to stain the ceiling. Chikage sat by Yukiko, with his wife's head on her laps, as she covered both their mouths with a nearby handkerchief. Not knowing what else he could do, he huddled up with his wife, taking hold on one of her hands and squeezing it tight. Hoping that they would all make it out of the inferno alive.

It felt like an eternity when he finally heard the sounds of sirens piercing through the walls and there were faint shouts. Yuusaku called out, directing the firefighters to their location. He should have been relieved at the sight of the yellow and silver clad men valiantly coming to their rescue but the only thing he could focus on was the disappearing warmth in his hand and the stickiness of his chest. Sometime between when he sat down and when the firefighters came in, he swapped places with Chikage, letting Yukiko rest on his laps as he brushed aside the hair.

"Is this all of you?" The man called out from his rebreather. Yuusaku nodded. "Ok, follow us."

Yuusaku kept his hold on his wife instead of letting the firefighters carry her. He stumbled along the slippery path, acutely aware of the flames still licking at the sides. Instead of exiting through the stage area, the firefighters had directed them to a hastily made opening through the windows and carefully guided them to the ambulance. Paramedics rushed out of the vehicle and tried to take Yukiko from Yuusaku's hand as another ushered Chikage to another vehicle. Yuusaku had not let go, instead carried her up towards the gurney.

"Sir, we need you to let go first." A gentle voice from beside him prompted Yuusaku to let go of the hand. With much reluctance, he sat on a nearby seat as the paramedics busied themselves with their injuries. They had commented that he was fortunate to come out with nearly no injuries but a slight burn on the back of his hands. But they did not sound so enthusiastic as they treated Yukiko.

"There should be two boys, one of them is my son, where are they?" Yuusaku finally managed to say after realising they were driving towards the hospital.

"The police took them to the station. I believe it was Megure-keibu of Division One who is looking after the two boys who called emergency."

Nodding reflexively, Yuusaku once again focused his attention on the still form of his wife. Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw a glimmer of blue eyes sitting at the corner but he knew he was just imagining things by now. 'Must be shock.' He thought to himself logically, trying hard not to focus on the alarmed voice of the paramedics calling for blood packs and supplies.

 **-TBC-**


	3. Rebirth

**-Tales at 2-2-1 Beika-**

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

A/N: Final installment of the trilogy. The ending is a bit...weird but I wasn't sure how to end this. I didn't want it to become too long.

* * *

 **-3: Rebirth-**

Weary hands gripped tighter onto smaller hands as they stood in silence under a dark umbrella as they trudged down muddy paths towards the silent stones. Even the heavens cried at the lost of two magnificent people, his beloved wife and a dear family friend. Next to him was the widow of his friend with her head bowing down as she walked with heavy steps, tears having dried out days ago when the police finally reported finding the charred remains of Kuroba Toichi.

He himself had been sitting by his wife's bedside at the time of the police's announcement, where his wife was still on the verge of death. Though the operation was a success, it was the subsequent infection that took his Yukiko away. At that time, both children were shuffled between various friends of family, of co-workers, and of the police, to keep them away from all this sadness. Though somehow, they still managed to find their way to their remaining parents who stood. Chikage would have returned to their home in Ekoda but she soon fell into a depressive state as she was assaulted with memories of her lost husband. Instead, she was admitted into the hospital after nearly killing herself due to neglect. Many would say Yuusaku was the lucky one, to have come out of the ordeal physically unscathed, but the author himself felt no such relief. Seeing his wife dying in the white starch bed, his friend's widow deteriorating under grief, and their sons closing their heart was one of the worst thing that could happen to a man. But he remembered the promise he made to his wife, to look after their son, and the somewhat strange promise he vowed so long ago to his friends to look after his family should something happen to said magician. Yuusaku is not the type to break promises therefore he had to maintain his psyche for as long as possible, or until those under his care had finally recover from this ordeal. He would allow himself to succumb to his grief only when he was certain everyone else would be fine, for that was a promise he made to his son as well.

"'Tou-san." Shinichi tugged on his hand, catching Yuusaku's attention. His young voice was uncertain and lacked volume, as though it was a mere whisper of the wind. "Is it...are they...gone?"

Yuusaku wasn't sure if he could really reply the question. Instead, he crouched down and hugged his son. He felt his shoulders becoming damp, voiceless cries from his son as tears streamed down soaking his jacket. None of the guests bothered the grieving pair as they paid their respect by leaving flowers. Beside them, he could see Kaito trying to hold tight onto his mother's hands, as though trying to anchor Chikage.

"Everything would be fine." Shinichi whispered next to his ear in a voice so uncharacteristic of a young grieving child. It was soft, kind, and gentle whilst holding a sense of mischief. "You'll see Yuu-chan."

Yuusaku startled, nearly pushing Shinichi to fall onto the ground. He gripped tight onto his son's shoulders, looking deep into the clear blue eyes. It was strange, but he finally noticed it wasn't tinged with the sadness as he thought.

"What did you say Shinichi?" Yuusaku held back the tremble in his voice.

"I said we'll be fine 'tou-san." Shinichi patted on his father's back as though to comfort him. "I'm sure…'kaa-san wouldn't want us to be sad." Shinichi sounded forced when he said the words, as though he could not cry.

Yuusaku gritted his teeth as he held onto his son tighter, it must be due to the lack of sleep, or else why had he just hear Yukiko's voice just now.

The service was solemn, family friends and close colleagues watched as the priest read from the bible. They had chosen to follow the western tradition rather than the cultural tradition, burying their beloved in the church cemetery rather than at the shrines. Though they are keeping an epitaph at home in honour of their cultural tradition. The rain, which had been a small drizzle at the beginning of the service, turned violent as though lamenting for the loss of two great people. Though the umbrellas shielded them from the rain, the inside of Yuusaku's heart was cold and icy. The lost was hard to bare but he would bare them for the sake of his son. He stared at the headstone he had painstakingly chosen, the cursive lettering to the carefully engraved decorations, it was all a reminder of the beautiful soul that once held his heart. He let the words of cherubs and angels pass through his ears, never once registering the priest's recitation of the beauty of heaven and all those promised to the pure soul. His dark blue eyes were so focused on the headstone that he thought he saw the image of Yukiko being reflected on its surface, that behind her stood a shadowed figure and a small boy who looked a lot like their son.

Breaking away from the painful image, he took a glance at the headstone further down, where another service was being held, this one for his friend. Chikage had slumped into her seats, as though a puppet cut from its string. All manner of strength that was once present in the woman had now left, leaving behind only emptiness. Kaito stayed close, gripping tightly onto his mother's hand as bland eyes glanced down at the array of offerings made at the base of the headstone. The once phantom-thief has now become a true phantom, something that Yuusaku had not predicted nor was there anything he could have done.

' _Are you sure you couldn't have saved them?_ ' A deep voice whispered close to his ears. ' _Was it not in your abilities?_ '

'I've done everything I could have to protect the ones I love. There was nothing else I could do.' Yuusaku justified in his own mind.

' _But you could have done more, if only you chose a different path._ ' Wind swept through the area, splattering the guests with dampness from the rain.

The grieving pairs stayed under the pouring rain, even as guests came to give their condolences and paid their respect, the adults barely reacted. Seeing how both parents were unaware of the comings and goings, Shinichi and Kaito acted uncharacteristically mature for their age, thanking the guests for their kid words and acknowledging them. Even as the sun set, when the rain had finally subsided to mere drizzle, when all the guests have finally left leaving only the sadness behind, Yuusaku was still rooted on the spot. Shinichi stood close, clinging onto the fabric of his black suit.

"'Tou-san, we should leave." Shinichi tugged harder at his jacket. "You'll get a cold and 'kaa-san would worry."

Yuusaku vaguely nodded before walking to where Chikage stood. Kaito, who kept still for the whole service walked up to Shinichi and proceeded to hug the boy. Neither had any tears in the eyes and Yuusaku had to wonder whether it was a coping mechanism or they were still too young for the concept of grief.

"Chikage." Placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, he urged her to move from her spot. "We need to leave."

She too looked as out of it as Yuusaku, following mutely as their boys lead the path back to the road. Yuusaku offered for the Kurobas to stay with them at the mansion as he was sure Chikage did not want to be alone for the night. The boys had behaved for the duration of the journey, barely making a single sound. Though they seemed to be alert for something, which Yuusaku brushed it off as paranoia. Their constant glances to the side, as though to ascertain a presence of some kind, had not registered on Yuusaku's scale of weirdness.

They called for a take-out dinner, even if no one had much appetite. Most of the food was placed back into the fridge to be made into lunch for the next day. Yuusaku had the mind to excuse Shinichi and Kaito from school for the duration of the week, not wanting them to be out of his sight for the duration of the recovery.

Yuusaku laid in his large bed, now colder without the added person for warmth. He was at least relieved that the boys would share a bed together. Somehow, he wondered if Chikage was coping inside the guest room, which she retired not long after dinner. Yuusaku remembered hearing sounds of sobbing and decided not to intrude on the woman. The boys were faring better as they have each other for company, though their conversations were mainly made in hushed whispers and away from ears of their parents.

Sleep did not come easily, and Yuusaku was painfully aware of the passage of time. Every once in a while, he thought he heard voices in whispers, that of a young inquisitive child, or melodies of a lullaby sung by an enticing voice from a distant memory. He recognized the tune as one that Yukiko would sing to their baby boy in a crib, one that lulls both males of the house to sleep with promises of pastel dreams.

" _Goodnight Yuu-chan._ " Yuusaku thought he heard as his eyes finally closed, as his mind was left to wonder in the blank dreams. " _Everything should be better now._ "

Years passed in a blur, Yuusaku had extended his invitation for the remaining Kurobas to stay with them in Beika. Chikage was quick to take up the offer, not wanting to face the memories left inside the house in Ekoda, even though she still kept it in good condition and had no urge to sell the house. Kaito transferred to Beika elementary, where he became a near-permanent attachment to Shinichi's side. _Accidents_ came more frequently than before and Yuusaku had been called to the station and school more times than his editors had called to chase up on his manuscript. They became a somewhat odd family, each with their weird quirks but none had thought anything wrong with said quirks.

Yuusku noticed how Shinichi would always look towards the photos of Yukiko and Toichi set on the kitchen counter every morning, as though to greet them, and how he would murmur soft words of 'itadakimasu' before his meal or 'idekimasu' as he left for school towards the photos. He found Kaito had often sequestered himself in the den, fluffing the overly large beanbag but never sitting on it, and often laying out small toys around said beanbag. He often found Shinichi and Kaito conspiring with each other at the end of the corridor, closest to the ladder up to the attic, and noticed how every so often they would look up in the direction of the door as though waiting for a third voice to enter their conversation. Yuusaku chalked all these up to their method of coping, and adhering to Yukiko's final request of never allowing his sons (yes, he considers Kaito his own now that he shares a roof with them) to be admitted and thought of as abnormal.

Their cohabitation started with surviving on takeouts, as Yuusaku always forgot the time when he was writing inside they study. Though once Chikage had mentally recovered slightly, she tutted and took up the reigns inside the kitchens. Slowly, she found her purpose again, ensuring both boys grew up healthily. Even so, she would always glance at the photo of Toichi with a sense of longing, there will always be nights that she would sob until dawn and come out of her room with reddened eyes.

The first time any of the parent showed emotion other than sadness was when Shinichi and Kaito failed to return home after school one evening, long past any after school activities had finished for the day. The parents were not as worried as they should have been of their 10 year-olds until the sun set down low and dinner had lain forgotten on the table. Yuusaku checked with the police while Chikage called up the school, called some of their friends (even going as far as calling up the Nakamoris in Ekoda even if the Kurobas haven't been back there for a while), and checked in with the professor next door. None of the parties heard anything and the police, in particular Megure, became extremely anxious. It was too often the boys became entangled in a crime, even as Yuusaku tried to distant himself from these horrid acts.

" _I'll see if I can get a few of my officers to look for them, I'll also call up some of the uniformed police to tell them to keep an eye._ " Megure promised. Both of them knew it would have to be 48 hours before they could lodge an actual report.

Chikage had sat glued to the phone by the entrance, never once taking her eyes off the handset. Yuusaku had tried prying her away, coaxing her back into her room or at lease somewhere more comfortable, but ultimately settled for draping a warm blanket over her as she did not budge from her spot despite the overwhelming difference in strength. That night had Chikage keeping vigil as she waited for news over the phone. Where Chikage kept still, Yuusaku could not help but move with agitation, pacing across the library and through the hallways. He rearranged the kitchen flatware and cutlery, dusted the shelves, and organized his files, in order to have something to stave his mind off some of the more gruesome images his mind was conjuring. As dawn broke through the dark mansion, the telephone rang with the promise and hope of some good news. Chikage was on the handset within a second, with Yuusaku following closely behind.

"Hello?" She asked timidly into the phone.

" _May I speak with Kudo Yuusaku?_ " The older man on the other side asked politely. She handed the phone over to the waiting author's hands.

"This is he, may I asked who is calling?"

" _Yuusaku-kun, we've received a message that two boys have been found on a road leading into the mountains._ " Megure's voice sounded tired, most likely because he too was concerned about the wayward boys. He uttered a string of instructions and addresses, to guide Yuusaku to a meetup point where the police would drive him and Chikage towards the last reported location.

"Thank you inspector." Replacing the phone to the handset, he turned to address the eagerly waiting Chikage. "They might have found the boys."

There was a flurry of action that followed, with the two adults rushing towards the destination and escorted up to a mountain hut. Huddled between thick blankets were the near-identical boys, holding onto their cup of hot milk. To the side sat a man, bound in ropes and handcuffs, and at the dark corner was, what could be termed as a nightmare. A bloody corpse with congealed blood plastered amongst the wall and floor nearby, shreds of clothing laid forgotten even as the officers hasten their motions to partition off the area. Both boys gave little to no indication that they found the view disturbing, nor did they react to the smell of iron floating in the air. The bound man, on the other hand, was muttering incomprehensible words, speaking about revenge and demons, about dark shadows that looms over people and little boys with bright eyes. He had shuddered when one of the officers moved away from his position, which previously had blocked the view of Kaito and Shinichi from the man. The man pointed at the pair of boys, screaming "abomination" and "unnatural" with other unsavoury words in between.

"Yuusaku-kun." The tired inspector approached him. "We followed the anonymous tip to this location and found the boys standing in front of this hut, as though keeping guard over the entrance. We had to bring them in here to keep them warm."

Yuusaku nodded, not sure whether he was glad the boys were found unscathed or bothered by the fact they came here without informing anyone. Chikage was more honest to her feelings as she rushed over to the boys and hugged them to share her warmth.

"Shinichi, Kaito-kun." He approached the near sobbing Chikage and sighed in relief when the boys looked up. For a moment, he thought he would be staring into blank emotionless eyes. However, the pair of violet and blue held determination rather than disgust. "Why are you two up here in the mountains?"

The boys turned to look at each other, hesitated before replying, then shrugged their shoulders. Sighing, Yuusaku knew in the instant that the boys would never divulge what they knew, and told the inspector they would bring the boys back home if there was no need for them to be here.

That may be the first time the boys had suddenly disappeared only to reappear with a corpse of some sort attached to their name in a report, but it was certainly not the last time it happened. It was as though their presence itself attracted these sorts of acts, or that they voluntarily seeked out such incidences as though they were led by unknown force. Either way, Yuusaku had tried to curb Shinichi's enthusiasm towards mystery by not involving himself in the police's ongoing cases. He enforced certain rules upon the boys, making certain they return at night (though that was often broken with Kaito sneaking them back into the mansion more often than not after the moon had risen), making sure they were always escorted on their way to and from school either by themselves or their friends (which most of the time meant being escorted by the professor). Even so, they still managed to land in situations not suitable for children.

When they rose to middle school, things had changed slightly. Chikage took up part-time work, and traveled to other areas in hopes of finding a new purpose in life. Yuusaku was forced to go on promotional tours now that his books became a bestseller. It left the boys to their own devices inside the mansion for extended periods of time, though none more than a month. During those times Yuusaku was away, he felt a heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders. All his paranoia of needing to look behind his shoulders to ascertain there were no lingering shadows behind his back had suddenly vanished the moment he left Japan's grounds. On the morning of his first book tour since the departure of his wife, two years after her death, Shinichi went up to him with inquisitive eyes.

"Are you happy now 'tou-san?"

"I will be as long as you're safe." Yuusaku knelt down to give the boy a crushing hug. It was different from the ones his wife used to give.

"'Kaa-san...she wants you to be happy." He whispered softly. Even after so long, his son still spoke as though Yukiko was alive, as though she just went away for a job and had kept in constant communication with him. An old memory sprung into Yuusaku's mind.

"Shinichi, you should…" Yuusaku stopped his words, not wanting to push his son's fragile mind (not that he thought it would be fragile seeing as Shinichi saw more horrendous acts, though by no means it was less traumatic). Shaking his head, he bid goodbye to his son. If this was a coping mechanism, then so be it. If it wasn't, he would adhere to his promise with Yukiko and look after Shinichi as best he can, which means leaving his son to his own imagination if need be to keep him sane and stable.

But as the boys grew, the times the odd-family spent inside the mansion became shorter and Chikage had taken up touring and becoming a travel writer whereas Yuusaku picked up his old habit of evading his editors. The boys were left to their own devices extended periods, with the professor next door becoming their guardians. Yuusaku received weekly calls from Hiroshi, telling him about the mischief Kaito began pulling, the games Shinichi had participated in, and how the pair began their weekly ritual of visiting the Ekoda home during the weekends. Megure had called him up several times to tell Yuusaku of the decrease in the number of _incidents_ involving the pair of boys in Beika, but it seems their luck followed them to Ekoda. Though those in Ekoda were by far more tamed than in Beika as the pair of boys were involved in bank robberies and thefts more often than not. Yuusaku could only sigh in relief and thanked the inspector for helping him look after the boys during such cases.

"At least they won't see as much blood." He voiced out into the empty hotel room one evening after the customary phone call from the professor. The call came just as he was readying for bed. With the phone replaced back into its original position, he let his eyes close as he thought he heard the lullaby from his memory lulling him to sleep.

" _That is because they are fulfilling their end of the bargain. Your wife and friend paid a price for brief reprieve, they understand what it is they have to do and took up your mantle._ " A deep timbre voice spoke directly into his mind the moment he closed his eyes. " _I will make sure they will become what they should, fulfilling the promise to us as you should have._ "

That night, Yuusaku was overcome with uneasy sleep, even though the lullaby stayed in his mind as though trying to soothe his distress. He could not forget the deep timbre voice reminding him the reason for the so-called peace he had been experiencing was because the price had been paid. When Yuusaku woke, he could still feel the chill in his bones, and it had nothing to do with the air-conditioning inside the hotel room. It was a similar feeling to the ones he felt during the years inside the mansion in Beika. He feared something must have happened and decided to cut his tour short to return to Japan immediately. On impulse, he called up Chikage to check where she was on the globe. Her reply was she too was heading back to Japan, only because she felt that she should.

Staring up at the dark mansion under the setting sun, Yuusaku could not help the sense of dread pooling in the depths of his stomach. Something was not right. The place was all too quiet, as though no one had entered the building for at least a month, which was strange seeing as for the duration of his three-month book tour, Kaito and Shinichi would have to go to school (even though they have a habit to skipping classes much to the teacher's' disapproval. Though their grades had kept constant so there wasn't much the teachers could complain about). Opening the gates with a slight creak, he briefly wondered when was the last time the hinges were oiled. The whole setting made him remember the taxi driver's expression when he told them of the address.

" _It's that haunted place isn't it?" The taxi driver asked with a frightful expression. "I heard from some of my pals, they've driven a pair of twins covered in blood a month ago to the same location. Told me that it wasn't the first time too. Are you one of those horror story writer trying to chase up a good tale?"_

 _Yuusaku only raised an eyebrow and the taxi driver continued his dribble._

" _I can tell you of a good one involving the place. Apparently, the pair of twins my pal drove are regulars to that mansion. Always arriving by taxi covered in mud, muck, and other sorts of things, but never seen leaving the mansion. Strange thing is that the neighbours were also reporting seeing flashing lights nearby the mansion in the middle of the night. The saying is that the family that owned the place had moved out but the place was kept and is now inhabited by...not-humans." The taxi driver whispered the last phrase as though in conspiracy. "No one saw much of what goes on even though the next door neighbour had adamantly insisted there was nothing abnormal about the place."_

 _Yuusaku frowned. How could people not notice Kaito and Shinichi leaving the house?_

" _Anyways, if you're a reporter, or investigator, or heck a writer, just don't go messing about that place too much. You wouldn't want things to stalk your shadows."_

Inserting the key into the front door, he was met with complete silence inside the foyer.

"Shinichi? Kaito-kun?" He called out, not receiving any answers. He looked to the answering machine, there was a blinking red light indicating a message. Looking at the display, there was only a singular message, nothing that spoke of the mansion being empty for a whole month. Curiosity bit into Yuusaku and he pressed the playback button.

The audio played nothing but static.

Yuusaku thought nothing of it, assuming it was a prank call. They had those quite often as some of his more fervent fans had managed to find out his contact details and would often leave strange messages, this could be one of them.

"'Tou-san?" The sound of surprise from Shinichi's voice from behind and nearly startled Yuusaku into a fight-or-flight response. "You're back early."

Shinichi was trying to back away from the source of light shining from the small window above the front door, it was as though he was trying to hide. Not giving his son any room for evasion, Yuusaku reached out to grab hold of the wrist and pulled him into the light. He saw his son covered in grime and dirt.

"What happened?" Yuusaku asked forcefully as he dragged Shinichi down the wooden corridor towards the kitchen where he was sure to contain a first-aid kit.

"It's nothing really, only a small scuffle." Shinichi shrugged, dislodging the loose blue blazer jacket. Yuusaku knew his son generally kept up his appearance of straightened ties and combed hair. The son in front of him, however, had his tie loosened and hair in a mess. He noticed small flecks of red along the collar and shoulder of the shirt. As Shinichi tries to remove the blazer jacket, he winced in pain and let out a small hiss.

"Were you fighting?" Yuusaku was ready to admonish Shinichi if he associated himself with some unsavoury characters.

"What? No, no." Shinichi stretched out his hands as though to push back such statements. "I was caught up in it on our way back."

Yuusaku was about to question further when the sound of the front door closing alerted him to Kaito's arrival.

"Shinichi? Where are you? I've taken care of..." Kaito stopped mid-sentence as he entered the kitchen and saw Yuusaku hovering over Shinichi. "Uh...Yuusaku-ojiisan, we can explain."

Kaito's appearance was equally unkempt. He had forgone wearing the blazer jacket, having it tied to his waist. The green tie was loose with top few buttons of his shirt undone. There were splotches of brown on the cuff of his shirt and he noticed a small line of red across Kaito's neck.

"Sit Kaito-kun." Yuusaku directed towards the chair.

Obediently, Kaito sat next to Shinichi. Both were tense as they looked to each other for answers. Yuusaku fished out the first-aid kit from a kitchen cupboard and placed the box on the table. Shinichi was quick to drag the box to himself and started rummaging through the content to begin dressing Kaito's wounds. As Shinichi opened the bottle of hydrogen peroxide (Yuusaku made note of needing to restock as the bottle contained very little of the liquid), Kaito began to shift through bottles of pills and picked out two distinct bottles that Yuusaku recognised as painkillers and antibiotics. He couldn't help but notice how practiced the two are at dressing each other's wounds (he was also taken aback when he found out Shinichi was somehow hit on the back of his head).

"Start talking." Yuusaku placed two cups of water in front of the boys.

"Um...We were walking back from the shopping arcade, after picking up grocery and I saw something shady going on. I decided to follow and somehow witnessed a transaction of sorts. The men weren't exactly friendly and one of them managed to sneak behind me and tried to knock me out. I think I was unconscious for a while since the next moment I saw Kaito standing in front of me, holding onto his own neck. The men then decided to ditch but we chased after them and caught up to them. We then called the police and told them what happened and when we know they've arrived we walked away…" Shinichi admitted without making eye contact with Yuusaku. "We knew Megure-keibu would tell you so we thought to leave the scene without leaving our names with the police. Kaito stayed behind, hidden, to make sure the men wouldn't escape…"

"The two of you should have stayed. You need to be checked up by the doctors."

"But we're fine. It's not the first…" Shinichi suddenly clammed up, as though realising he was saying something that should be kept a secret.

"Anyways, Yuusaku-ojiisan, you're back rather early!" Kaito piped up to distract Yuusaku from his interrogation. But this time, Yuusaku was not so easily distracted.

"The two of you are reckless. You're not supposed to follow shady characters into dark alleys, I thought we taught you better than that!"

"But 'tou-san, I can't exactly leave. If I did, things would have been much worst. The thing they were exchanging would have caused irreparable harm to many civilians!"

Yuusaku sent the boys to clean up before heading to their shared room, even though the pair were in high school already and could easily escape from their room, neither Shinichi or Kaito complained. Even though they were now 16, they still kept to sharing the same bedroom, which in itself should be strange but it was no stranger than the rituals of keeping the beanbag corner inside the den and the conversations near the attic (or sometimes inside the attic as Yuusaku had found out one evening when the boys were 13).

Once he was sure the boys had retreated to their rooms, Yuusaku called up Megure to check. He was no longer surprised when the inspector told him the crime was weapons transaction where the police found ingredients to a bomb and several firearms delivered to the station as they made the arrest. It seems the boys were also lying as the criminals were not found in an alley close to the shopping arcade, rather it was off an abandoned construction site some several miles away in the opposite direction of the school, in a location that the boys would have never walk past in their daily commute. It proves to Yuusaku that the boys were seeking out such activities rather than stumbling upon them.

"Shinichi, Kaito-kun." He addressed the pair inside the bedroom.

He noticed several alarming changes, where the beds had been pushed together to make more space for movement inside the bedroom and a small corner to the back wall had another beanbag set up. The wall above the beanbag had news articles stuck on them, many of which were unsolved crimes, there were many coloured memos written in several styles of handwriting, two he recognised as the boys' but the others were unknown (one was made in a handwriting that looked to be from a small child with un-linked characters, another in loopy cursive that flared that he thought he saw before but could not for the life of him remember, a third was more structured with though with less stylistic elements as though the writer was trying to hide its identity). He noticed there was a stack of newspaper and books in another corner close to the writing desks. The only element inside the room that remained unchanged was the bookshelf that was still stocked to the brim with a myriad of magic tools and mystery books. He chanced a glance at the wardrobe, also noticing the sticky notes on the doors and a marked calendar filled with a variety of symbols.

"What have you two been up to?"

The boys looked at each other again, now out of their school uniform, they looked even less like the teenagers they should be and more like the children Yuusaku knew. They looked alarmingly like the time he confronted them inside the same bedroom all those years ago, when Shinichi just returned from his stay at the clinic.

"'Tou-san, it's just we've promised 'Kaa-san and Toichi-ojiisan. We can't just let things sit if we know. Especially since Conan went through the trouble of informing us..."

"Conan?" This was the first time he heard the name. A friend? Contact? Informer? Or someone else entirely? The name sounded like a codename, like a moniker rather than an actual name.

"He's...just someone we know." Kaito offered, knowing full well Shinichi would (and could) never lie to his father. "He's always giving us information about... _things_."

Yuusaku furrowed his brows.

"If this _Conan_ person is telling you information, you should report to the police and not handle it on your own."

"Who would trust our words without proof, let alone that of a little boy…" Shinichi muttered underneath his breath, not knowing Yuusaku also heard. Kaito nudged at Shinichi to which he replied, "next time, we'll be sure to tell them."

Unfortunately, Yuusaku did not believe Shinichi would.

When Chikage arrived to the tense atmosphere inside the mansion, Yuusaku was the one who broke the news of the boys actively seeking out danger, earning them both a harsh scolding from the woman. He had hoped Chikage's severe reprimand would serve as a deterrent but he was wrong. For three days later, both boys tried to sneak up their room with injuries. If Yuusaku had not been getting his coffee refill, he would have never known.

"Shinichi! Kaito-kun!" Yuusaku nearly dropped his mug when both boys came back looking as though they have been rolling around in the mud.

The boys flinched and started to edge away but a wince from Shinichi stopped Kaito in his tracks and quickly placed a support arm around his shoulders. Yuusaku pointed towards the kitchen with stern eyes fixated on their forms. The boys limped their way across the wooden floor and sat down at the dining table.

It was difficult for the boys, especially Kaito, to sit so still and yet, neither would volunteer the information Yuusaku wanted.

"Boys," he sighed with resignation, "what am I to do with you. You'll only make Chikage-san and me more worried." He was scheduled to resume the tour but seeing the state the boys were in, it made it difficult to leave. "Can you at least tell me what you're up to?"

The boys looked at each other, once again Yuusaku could easily read their reluctance.

"Let's start with this _Conan_ person. Who is it?" Yuusaku went into interrogation mode instead of waiting for the boys to offer the information.

"He's...someone." Shinichi offered vaguely. "He easily comes by information and would pass them onto us."

That was a bit more information than Yuusaku had hoped.

"What does he look like." He urged, hoping for their cooperation once more.

Shinichi bit onto his lower lips, a habit whenever he felt conflicted that carried over from when he was young. It was a gesture that would often mean he was debating whether to omit certain truths.

"He's young." Kaito answered but unwilling to elaborate.

"Then where did you meet him?"

Yuusaku had expected to be met with the silence, however the silence felt weighty this time round. Glancing about for the source of the abnormal feeling, he noticed both Shinichi and Kaito sat up straighter despite their bruises. They were responding as though someone just called for them.

"Shinichi." Yuusaku focused his questions onto his son, knowing it was rare for him to lie outright. "Tell me the truth."

"Conan looks young but isn't really. He never has been young and had seen so much...he has been the one to tell me, tell us of things that would happen. He knows when things would happen, when there would be incidents that looked like accidents if someone were not there to witness. He's...knowledgeable in this area but rarely is able to convey his information. Though Conan is the one who is responsible for the communication, he was also supplied with the information to pass onto us. I think the best description for Conan would be a go-between."

"How would I get into contact with him?" If there was such an informant, it was better for the police to handle it. The boys should know better than to handle such cases themselves.

"It's impossible for anyone else aside from Kaito and myself to communicate with Conan. Him and...others." Shinichi hesitate at the mention of other people, it was as though he was afraid of saying certain names. "But... _they_ won't be here for long. At least not now…"

"Who are the other people Shinichi? What do they want in exchange for these information?" Yuusaku knew he was pushing Shinichi to his limits, the tensing of his fists on the tabletop were a clear sign.

"Nothing, yet everything. They don't expect payment in return. Though they expect actions to be taken to ensure things would not take a turn for the worst. Especially if the worst means something would happen to all of _us_." Shinichi whispered.

"Please stop asking us Yuusaku-ojiisan." Kaito added just as Yuusaku was about to open his mouth to question them some more. "It's not something we can easily say, especially since we were told of our roles. It's not information people would easily place trust into as well. Neither do we want to open up old wounds."

By this time, the pair of boys looked anywhere but at Yuusaku, as though evading his eyes. Knowing both would not talk anymore, he instructed them to clean their wounds. Before leaving the boys, he told them they were both grounded for the rest of the month. Shinichi looked guilty whereas Kaito looked about to argue his point, though Shinichi had to physically hold Kaito back from his rebuttal.

Yuusaku slumped down wearily onto the large leather seats inside the study, the cup of coffee has long gone cold but he felt too drained to get another cup. He slowly closed his eyes to stave off the forming headache.

" _Stop asking them, it is beyond you now._ " The low voice echoed through his mind.

There was nothing but darkness that was surrounding him though a single light shone in the distance, like a spotlight. Yuusaku felt himself drawn towards the light like a moth. He took a tentative step inside the circle of light, squinting at the difference in the intensity.

" _They are now our envoys, our avatars, who will enforce our laws. They are now the ones who will bring about balance and keep the chaos at bay._ "

"Who are you to dictate what they should be." Yuusaku countered, knowing full well who (what) this voice was.

" _We were the ones who brought them to life. They were once innocent and pure, without a gift and you accepted the responsibility to bring them to adulthood. Now, their gift has finally mature, the gift that once belonged to you but was passed down prematurely to them, this gift has taken form and they were willing to embrace their gift._ "

"They are children! They should not have been burdened in the first place." Yuusaku thought he saw swish of black cloak at the edges of the light.

" _You who refused our gift do not have the right to dispute our cause and decision._ "

A wooden staff came into view. Yuusaku's eyes followed it upwards, gaze resting on the bony hands holding the staff.

"Then you know not of the horrors they face because of your gift. They are now using their lives to carry out your laws." Yuusaku remained strong even as coldness crept around his ankles. He felt a cold hand on his shoulder as though giving him strength and support for his argument. "You who carelessly gift people do not understand the effort required to carry out the duty bestowed. Gifts such as yours should not be given so freely."

" _These gifts are essential to the continual existence. You have no right to deny the existence of others._ "

Yuusaku felt frustrated, arguing with this...being...is like arguing with a brick wall.

"Yet their gift is nothing but a curse as they are forced to follow your whims and trail after the wrongness of the world. What lives would they lead by being burden with such heavy gifts?" He had to question the being's logic.

" _The price had been paid to curb the effects of their gift, two souls willingly gave themselves for the cause. They sacrificed themselves in exchange for time to mature the gift, to allow their growth. You should appreciate what they have done._ " The bony hand gestured to the area behind Yuusaku.

Slowly,Yuusaku turned and saw Toichi just lowering his arm and Yukiko waving happily. Off to their side stood a small boy, likely 7 or 8 years old. He looked remarkably similar to Shinichi, only difference was the pair of overly large glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. He even wore the same style of clothing. His hair, however, was a shade lighter, more like Kaito's than Shinichi, even though it was just as tidy.

" _Now, they have accomplished their missions, they helped nurture the gift. It is up to you as to how_ _you_ _would continually develop these gifts._ "

"Yukiko…" Yuusaku reached out but Yukiko shook her head. He saw her mouth moved but he did not hear a single sound. Even though the silence was disturbing, Yuusaku felt a rush of warmth emitting from Yukiko's direction, along with the general sense of concern. "I guess this really is goodbye isn't it?"

Yukiko had a sad smile on her face as she nodded. Toichi's hands landed on her shoulder, giving the woman a squeeze of support.

"I...We should be fine. I guess." Yuusaku did not cry, not a single drop of tear was shed. Yet his voice broke and fractured. "I'll make sure Shinichi and Kaito-kun stay safe."

" _Keep to your words. They are important vessels to us._ "

"Good bye My Love. Farewell dear Friend." Yuusaku muttered as mist rose from the ground, wrapping around Yukiko and Toichi. His eyes kept staring at the blank space even as their form disappeared, even as he felt his whole world turning dark.

"'Tou-san!" Yuusaku suddenly jolted from unconsciousness. Shinichi was shaking him forcefully as Kaito watched worriedly on the side. "Thank goodness you're back."

"Shinichi? Kaito-kun?" Stretching his arms above his head, Yuusaku realised how stiff he was. He stared at his son and finally realised he wasn't in the study inside the mansion. The white ceiling, itchy blanket, and smell of chemicals notified him that he was likely in a hospital. Though how he ended up lying in the hospital bed was unknown. He tried to sort through his memories to see what events brought him to this point.

"I'll call my mum to let her know. And I'll grab a doctor on the way. I'm sure you'd want to explain to Yuusaku-ojiisan what happened." Kaito walked out of the room with heavy footfalls, as though he was suddenly carrying a lot of weight. Glancing over at his son, he noticed Shinichi actually slumped into a nearby plastic chair, hand rubbing his face as he let out a shuddering breath.

Yuusaku took careful stock of how Shinichi looked, there was not much difference though his son did look a bit haggard and there was a prominent shadow underneath his eyes. His clothes were all wrinkled up, bunching at the elbows, waist, and knees as though they were kept in exactly the same position for extended amounts of time. He also noticed the guantness in the cheeks and pale skin tone.

"'Tou-san, Chikage-san found you sitting in the library three days ago. Unmoving and too still. If it weren't for the fact you were breathing, she would have screamed murder." Shinichi's fists were shaking. "We knew _they_ 'd do something but we never thought it would be something like this. And _they_ didn't even come to tell us."

"What are you trying to say?" Yuusaku's thoughts drifted back to the dream, which only felt lasted several minutes. Strangely enough, his memory of the dream was clearer this time when compared to the last time he heard or saw that cloaked figure. "Are you saying, I've been in a coma for 3 days? That this was all because of a dream?"

"So you do remember…" Shinichi muttered softly. " _They_ said it was possible for you to remember. Though it was more to do with Conan wanting to make sure you get a chance to say goodbye more than anything. Something about being sentimental and wanting to repay you for trying to take him as well all those years ago."

Yuusaku kept silent, as more often silence prompted more words from Shinichi than actual urging.

"You're not going to think I'm crazy again will you 'tou-san?" Shinichi asked with a wavering voice. "I know you meant well last time. And it was mostly because you've never experienced it, or understand it but…"

"Son." Yuusaku sat up, though slightly wobbling as he tried to lift himself into position. Shinichi was quick at hand to assist. But instead of letting Shinichi sitting back down, Yuusaku pulled him into a hug. "I understand now. I'm sorry to have put you up to it last time."

"'Tou-san…" Shinichi buried himself into his father's hold. He may be mature for his age, but some pains are just too painful to bare. "They're...really gone now…"

"I know son." Yuusaku patted on Shinichi's back, though he knew his son would not shed a tear even in such sadness.

"And I'm...we're…"

"I know everything now son. There's no need for you to fear. But do promise me something." Yuusaku pushed Shinichi so he would be looking at his son's eyes, to determine whether there would be truths in his promise. "Tell me, or tell Chikage-san next time the two of you go running off."

"I promise 'tou-san."

Shinichi pulled away just as the doctors entered the room with Kaito behind them. He quickly strode over and hugged his look-alike, as though clinging onto him for fear of his disappearance. Kaito nodded and muttered nonsensical words as the doctors examined Yuusaku.

Yuusaku was told he would have to stay the night for observation. Shinichi and Kaito were told to leave at the end of visitation hours, though both promised to come to pick him up. Briefly, Yuusaku wondered when the role of parent and child changed between himself and Shinichi. He must have missed the time when Shinichi grew from that young curious boy to the now responsible teen.

"Our son grew up too fast Yukiko." Yuusaku turned towards the window as he muttered to himself that night. The weather was pleasant enough for the windows to remain opened. He had insisted to have the curtains open so he could see the night sky. "It's a shame I didn't pay enough attention. Were you able to watch out for our boy during those years I wonder."

The night wind blew gently through the window, fluttering the curtains, bringing with it a nostalgic floral scent.

"I guess it's up to me now isn't it?" Yuusaku chuckled. "I should have realised sooner of your stubbornness. You would have never left our son to fend for himself would you?"

The curtains fluttered again. It was as though the wind was replying to Yuusaku's conversation. He let himself believe his wife was still looking out for their family even though he was sure that dream had been a goodbye.

"I love you too Yukiko." There was a smile on his lips as he let his eyes close. He heard the faint melody of a humming lullaby from the window side, as though someone was sitting close by watching over him as he slept.

 **-END-**

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A/N: Did you enjoy it? Was it good (or did you feel it was a bit wishy-washy)? Leave a comment below (or maybe you've found plot holes or something, I'd like to know that as well).


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